Sheriff could have conducted security sweep Brown County Executive Carol Kelso and interim Corporation Counsel John Jacques hold a news conference Wednesday (photo by H. Marc Larson). Kelso said she is finished talking about the issue By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle Sheriff Dennis Kocken said Wednesday that his office could have conducted a security sweep of the county executive and corporation counsel offices with the aid of state and federal equipment. "Yes," Kocken said when asked whether the department could have done the sweep. "I'm confident that we could have checked if someone was doing surveillance of any kind in that office." Kocken said he could have done the sweep and could have borrowed equipment at no cost in order to check for "bugs" in the offices. County Executive Carol Kelso hired a private firm for $3,000 earlier in her term so a complete security check could be done of the offices, including a check for surveillance equipment. She said at a Wednesday news conference the check was done to determine whether she was doing enough to protect sensitive information. "I take confidentiality very seriously in this office," she said. Kelso said there was a written, but confidential, report produced from the company plus verbal communications between Corporation Counsel John Jacques and company employees. The $3,000 was taken out of the corporation counsel's litigation-services budget. Kelso and Jacques do not have to report to the County Board for expense approval. The firm, API Services, was called after information from a private conversation circled back to her office. Kelso said she was discussing a personnel matter with an attorney in her Northern Building office. Somehow, some of the information leaked out, and she was investigating the security breach. "It only happened once, but it was very serious to us," she said. Kelso didn't speculate how the breach occurred, but she said notes were taken at the meeting. Kelso said she did not contact the sheriff because the case was considered civil, not criminal, because there was no sign of forced entry. Sup. Pat Collins brought the issue to the Public Safety Committee on Wednesday and asked the sheriff whether his department could have done the check. "The sheriff has vindicated me on the whole doggone issue," Collins said. "I was looking after the taxpayer." "Those $3,000s add up," he added. After the meeting, Collins was handed an information request by Sup. John Gower asking who contacted him about Kelso's expense. Collins said it was an anonymous caller. Collins asked the Administrative Committee to address the issue at its meeting today. Kelso said the changes made after the security sweep included changing locks and office procedures and did not include any major expenses. "It was really the big-picture stuff," she said. "They were really the big-picture stuff." In other Public Safety Committee news: - Committee members questioned Kocken about several areas where the county could potentially save money, including reducing overtime hours and keeping patrol cars with the department instead of allowing some officers to take them home. Sup. Guy Zima called the policy that allows some officers to take home cars a "perk." "I really think it's just good policy to bring your car in at the end of your shift," Zima said. Kocken was told to look into the issues. - The committee asked the County Board to approve a letter in opposition of a proposed halfway house for federal prisoners in the rural town of Green Bay. A similar resolution was passed by the county's Education and Recreation Committee last week. The issue will be addressed by the full County Board at its meeting later this month.