Milwaukee County Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt seeks interim appointment to the job

Milwaukee County Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt announced Monday that he has asked Gov. Scott Walker to appoint him to the job.

"Public safety is my priority," Schmidt said at a news conference after 25 days as the acting sheriff. Schmidt said that he is bringing an "urgency" to the Sheriff's Office "to protect the citizens of Milwaukee County."

Pointing to his badge, Schmidt noted that it said Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.

"That stands for every single person who lives here and visits the county," he said. "We will have a cooperative relationship with all people. Courtesy and civility will be the rule of the day."

Walker is reviewing applications for an interim appointment to replace former Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. Clarke's term runs through 2018.

Schmidt said he has not decided whether he would run for election to the post in November 2018. The news conference certainly had the appearance of an election bid as Schmidt surrounded himself with eight staff members and introduced his wife, Valori.

Schmidt said that his wife of 38 years had supported him through his career. "She is my hearbeat," he said.

Schmidt, 61, became acting sheriff on Aug. 31 after Clarke's abrupt resignation, and at that time he announced several initiatives to chart his own course for the office.

He said his 31-year career with the Sheriff's Office and the success of those initiatives make him qualified for the appointment. Among the initiatives are a commitment to trim department spending and the establishment of saturation patrols on freeways to reduce reckless driving.

After 19 days of saturation patrols, Schmidt said that his deputies had issued a total of 803 citations to drivers, including 588 related to speeding. Fully 276 of the speeding citations alleged drivers were going 16 to 19 MPH over the posted speed limit while another 226 of the drivers were traveling 20 to 24 MPH over the limit. Another 67 were driving 25 to 49 MPH over the limit.

Schmidt vowed to continue the special patrols.

"We're seizing the moment to stop reckless and aggressive driving," he said.

In September, there have been 46 arrests for intoxicated driving, he said.

Related:Milwaukee County Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt charts own course in new job

Related:Schmidt outlines Milwaukee County sheriff's office transition

"I'm well-versed in every aspect of our agency," Schmidt said. He has led the Police Services Bureau and the Detention Services Bureau. He was promoted by Clarke in 2010 to the job of inspector, the senior commander of the agency.

Regarding his initiative to freeze Sheriff's Office spending, Schmidt said he has worked with County Executive Chris Abele to trim a projected $5 million deficit in the department's 2017 budget.

They have found $2 million worth of cuts in the department's spending plan, including purchase of equipment, such as guns, Tasers and vehicles, he said. They also are reducing overtime spending by putting the work of unspecified specialty units on hold while those officers are assigned to help out on freeways and in courts.