Recreation Enforcement
Winnebago County is uniquely situated with nearly 440 square miles of land and 140 square miles of water. As such, the Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement services to those partaking in recreation activities. Many of our enforcement and investigative efforts are in part reimbursed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit is comprised of three boats. These three boats are used to patrol the navigable waterways in Winnebago County, consisting of Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, Lake Poygan, Lake Winneconne along with Little Lake Butte des Morts and the Fox River. Each Marine Unit is staffed with two deputies; typically patrolling during the navigational season on the weekends and holidays, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
For the fastest rescue operations, the Sheriff’s Office continues to share access to our boats, to include our airboats, with both the Oshkosh Fire Department and Neenah Menasha Fire Rescue. These partnerships result in the fastest response during true emergencies. The Winnebago County Dive Rescue/Recovery Team also regularly utilizes the marine units.
In the winter, the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office Snowmobile Patrol covers approximately 213 miles of groomed trails, which consists of 133 miles of state funded trails and 80 miles of privately maintained club trails, along with frozen bodies of water throughout the County.
The Snow Patrol is active during the many local fishing events that occur on the ice, and may additionally utilize ATV’s to support their enforcement efforts.