What Dane County Sheriff's Office does

The Dane County Sheriff's Office is the statutory county-level law enforcement agency headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, serving Dane County's population of approximately 546,000 across more than 60 cities, towns, and villages. Established in 1839, the agency employs 577 personnel as of 2021, comprising 456 sworn deputies and 121 non-sworn professional staff, and operates patrol precincts, jail facilities, court security, and specialized tactical units including Tactical Response, Dive, Crisis Negotiation, Hazardous Devices, K9, Motor, and Honor Guard teams. Core functions include jail supervision, patrol, traffic enforcement, criminal investigations, warrant service, civil papers, and emergency response, supported by a training academy in Waunakee, WI.

The agency's "products" are effectively public-safety services delivered to Dane County residents, distributed through physical deployment and community-based policing programs. Its commercial-style go-to-market is a recruiting operation branded "Team Dane" (teamdane.com), which runs year-round hiring of 30-40 Deputy Sheriffs plus civilian staff (Jail Clerks, Security Support Specialists, Social Workers, Hearing/Classification Specialists) and unpaid internships. Applications flow through GovernmentJobs.com, supplemented by direct recruiter outreach, entry exam centers in Madison and Milwaukee, and military testing arrangements. The 30x30 Initiative partnership and 22% sworn women officer composition (92 veterans on the team) signal a focus on diverse talent pipelines.

Funding is derived entirely from county taxpayer appropriations rather than commercial revenue streams, and revenue is not publicly disclosed in a corporate sense. The Sheriff is an elected/appointed constitutional office; Kalvin Barrett became the 53rd Sheriff and first African American Sheriff on May 10, 2021. The agency maintains federal partnerships with the FBI (Crisis Negotiations training, Hazardous Devices certification) and U.S. Secret Service for dignitary protection, as well as a tactical response partnership through Wisconsin Emergency Management's ALERT program.

Name

Dane County Sheriff's Office

Legal name

County of Dane

Website

https://teamdane.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1839

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Dane County Sheriff's Office is a Wisconsin county government law enforcement agency headquartered in Madison, providing patrol, jail, criminal investigation, and specialized tactical services to approximately 546,000 residents across 60+ municipalities, funded by the county budget and operated by 577 personnel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Law Enforcement Services

NAICS

Police Protection (922120), Police Protection (92212), Other Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922190)

akta.pro primary industry

Police Services (Patrol, Response & Community Policing) (BPAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), Event Safety Marshals & Compliance Staff (Non-security) (HSACAEAL), Patrol & Perimeter Security K9 Services (BPAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Law enforcement services
• Public safety
• Jail operations
• Criminal investigations
• Patrol services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Safety Services: Government-funded law enforcement agency providing public safety services to Dane County residents. Revenue is derived from taxpayer funding through the county budget rather than commercial revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Dane County Sheriff's Office is a statutory county law enforcement agency providing public safety services to approximately 546,000 residents across Dane County, Wisconsin. Its core functions include patrol and traffic enforcement, jail supervision and inmate management, criminal investigations, court security and bailiff duties, warrant service, civil process, and emergency response. The agency also operates specialized units including Tactical Response Team, Dive Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, Hazardous Devices Unit, K9 Unit, Motor Unit, Honor Guard, Special Events Team, and Fire Investigation Team.

Product overview

The Dane County Sheriff's Office operates as a community-based law enforcement agency offering multiple career pathways through its recruiting platform. The primary offerings include sworn Deputy Sheriff positions requiring Wisconsin law enforcement certification, civilian professional staff roles supporting jail and administrative operations, and unpaid internship programs for criminal justice and social work students. Sworn deputies can specialize through various teams including tactical, dive, crisis negotiations, hazardous devices, K9, and honor guard units. The agency serves Dane County, Wisconsin with over 450 sworn staff and 120 professional staff across facilities including jail complexes, patrol precincts, and courthouse operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Law Enforcement Patrol Services General patrol, traffic enforcement, emergency response, and field services delivered by sworn deputies across Dane County's cities, towns, and villages. Serves the county's approximately 546,000 residents with statutory authority extending to Dane County waters.
• Jail Operations and Inmate Supervision Operation of county jail facilities including inmate supervision, booking, classification and hearings, security support, and social work services. Jail capacity was significantly expanded in 1983-1984 with the addition of four floors to address overcrowding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 175+ years of continuous service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 30x30 InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 30x30 Initiative is a coalition of police leaders, researchers, and professional organizations committed to advancing the representation and experiences of women in all ranks of policing. The Dane County Sheriff's Office has pledged to this initiative and is actively working toward the goal of 30% women in recruit classes by 2030, with already 22% sworn women officers achieving early success toward this target.
• Wisconsin Department of Justice Law Enforcement Standards and TrainingcoreTechnology or IntegrationLaw Enforcement Academy and certification requirements are governed by Wisconsin state standards. The Physical Readiness Test (PRT) standards are set by Wisconsin LESB for academy entrance.
• Dane County Employee RelationscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCounty department responsible for coordinating the hiring process including exam administration, background investigations, and eligibility list management.
• Dane County K9minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA volunteer non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) dedicated to helping the Dane County Sheriff's Office K9 Unit meet funding needs. Provides funding for special equipment, advanced training, and offsets costs for K9 handlers.
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBI provides Crisis Negotiations training certification for CNT members. Hazardous Devices Unit members trained and certified by FBI and U.S. Army as Hazardous Device Technicians.
• United States Secret Service and Department of StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDane County Hazardous Devices Unit works with federal agencies for protection of visiting dignitaries including current and former U.S. Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Senators, heads of foreign governments, and other designated individuals.
• Wisconsin Emergency Management (ALERT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTactical Response Team is an ALERT (Aligned Law Enforcement Response Team) agency and responds to requests for tactical response in the SW EPS region through partnership with Wisconsin Emergency Management.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office: County-level sheriff's office in Wisconsin, the most direct jurisdictional peer in the same state. Operates a similar mix of patrol, jail, court security, and specialized units, and competes with Dane County for the same state-level training and recruitment pools.
• Waukesha County Sheriff's Office: Adjacent Wisconsin county sheriff's office of similar mid-sized scale. Provides the same statutory county law enforcement services and competes for lateral hires and specialty team talent in the same southeastern Wisconsin labor market.
• Hennepin County Sheriff's Office: Large Midwestern urban county sheriff's office covering the Minneapolis metro, comparable in mission scope (jail, patrol, court security, investigations) and in serving a major population center with a similar mix of municipal and unincorporated areas.
• Cook County Sheriff's Office: One of the largest county sheriff's offices in the U.S., operating a major jail system, court security, and patrol functions around Chicago. Highly comparable operating model and statutory mission, at a materially larger scale.
• Maricopa County Sheriff's Office: Large county sheriff's office in Phoenix, Arizona, with a similarly broad portfolio of patrol, jail, court security, and specialty units. Direct functional peer in operating a full-service county-level law enforcement agency.
• Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: Largest county sheriff's department in the U.S., operating patrol, custody, court services, and specialized bureaus across a major metro. Direct model peer for a full-service sheriff's office, at a much larger scale.
• Madison Police Department: Municipal police department serving the City of Madison within Dane County. Operates within the same jurisdiction, with overlapping patrol, investigations, and community-policing responsibilities, and competes for the same local recruiting pool.
• King County Sheriff's Office: Washington-state county sheriff's office providing patrol, marine, and contract police services across unincorporated King County and contracted cities. Comparable full-service sheriff model serving a major Pacific Northwest metro.
• Travis County Sheriff's Office: Texas county sheriff's office serving the Austin metro with patrol, corrections, and court security functions. Comparable in operating a full-service county sheriff's office around a state-capital region.

Regional players

• Wisconsin State Patrol: State-level law enforcement agency that shares enforcement territory and recruits from the same Wisconsin labor pool. Not a direct competitor for county services, but a regional peer for talent, training standards, and inter-agency task-force work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DanecountyWI
• Facebookfacebook.com/DaneCountySheriff
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dane-county-sheriffs-office

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dane County Sheriff's Office