Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski has recently made national headlines for his online remarks targeting Democrats and Kamala Harris supporters. Many found the remarks concerning, unprofessional and threatening. 

The situation has stirred up a lot of fear amongst Portage County residents, with some believing they can no longer trust local law enforcement. Other residents have even called for the sheriff’s removal from office. 

Michael Scott, a criminal justice and justice studies professor, agreed with the sentiment that Zuchowski should be removed from office. Scott also referred to himself as an “Independent,” and said this goes beyond politics.

“He violated his oath of office, because by his own statement he’s not about to impartially discharge his duties,” Scott said. “He is picking out people of his community, the community that he was elected to represent and keep safe, he’s selecting them in an effort to dissuade them from voting for a particular candidate. This is oppression of office.” 

Scott has over 65 years of criminal justice experience, with 40 years spent as a member of law enforcement and 25 years as a teacher. Despite his long standing career, he was “shocked” when he first learned of Zuchowski’s actions. 

“I have never seen or heard of a sheriff that goes out of his way to post a threat on social media to a significant portion of his own county, the county he has sworn to protect and serve,” Scott said.  

Zuchowski defended his comments by saying they were within his first amendment rights, but Scott believes freedom of speech isn’t relevant to the situation. He said Zuchowski’s comments are not protected by the First Amendment. 

“His blind ignorance to the interpretation of the First Amendment of the constitution is astounding,” Scott said. “Threatening, albeit a veiled threat against people who wish to vote a certain way, is not protected speech.” 

Many Portage County residents have also referred to Zuchowski’s comments as an abuse of power by intimidating members of the community. Scott said as a sheriff, the safety of their constituents should be the highest priority. 

“His status as a public servant ought to come before his desire to express his opinion,” Scott said. “Once he wrote that ill-conceived post it made his constituents afraid.” 

This problem is a part of a larger issue where sheriff’s serve as both public servants and politicians. The sheriff’s need to be reelected can sometimes outweigh the needs of their constituents, and this can put those citizens in harm’s way. 

Regarding Zuchowski, he potentially put Harris supporters in a dangerous position to win over more votes. To Scott, that is “unforgivable.” 

“There’s a lot of things in life that are difficult, and we can overcome those difficulties so we don’t fall prey to them,” Scott said. “And this is what he did, he fed red meat to his base in an attempt to shore up his political standing in the community.” 

John Engoglia is a beat reporter. Contact him at [email protected].