VIROQUA, Wis. – Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson reports that his department, in collaboration with Driftless Humane Society, recently sent Deputy Zachary Kammel to the Wisconsin Humane Officers Training course in Madison, Wis.
Torgerson says the course, which was held Sept. 18 through 22, was provided by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Law Enforcement Training Institute and University Extension. The course content includes the role of the animal investigator, rules of evidence, rules of search and seizure, civil liability, Wisconsin law, facility standards, evaluation of cruelty, nutrition, body conditioning and scoring, pet shop investigations, photography and sketching, crime scene procedure and collection of evidence, interview and interrogation, report writing, courtroom testimony, and crisis intervention/officer safety.
Torgerson said it is the goal of the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office to be more knowledgeable in the area of animal neglect and/ or cruelty, and to have more officers trained in this area. Sheriff Roy Torgerson would like to thank the Driftless Humane Society for their dedication and willingness to sponsor officers for this very important training.
Currently, the Sheriff’s Office has three deputy sheriffs trained as Humane Officers for Vernon County: Deputy Casey Gilbert, K9 Officer Deputy Mark Bellacero, and Deputy Zachary Kammel. They received the training in 2019, 2022, and 2023, respectively.
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