Leadership Built on Integrity
Raised here. Served here. Led here. Your safety and peace of mind depend on a Sheriff who has earned trust at every level and stands ready to lead from Day One.
Raised here. Served here. Led here. Your safety and peace of mind depend on a Sheriff who has earned trust at every level and stands ready to lead from Day One.
As Sheriff, I will deliver disciplined, accountable leadership focused on one principle: public safety comes first. I will enforce the law fairly, strengthen partnerships across agencies, and ensure the Sheriff's Office operates with professionalism, transparency, and fiscal responsibility. Kenosha County will have leadership that stands with its deputies and earns the confidence of its citizens.
James Beller is a lifelong Kenosha County resident who has spent nearly three decades protecting the community he calls home. His commitment to public safety began early as a member of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office Youth Explorer Program and continued through hands-on service in every role as a Kenosha Police Officer. For him, public safety is not political, it is personal. It has been his life's work.
A United States Army veteran, Beller returned home to continue serving Kenosha County as a dispatcher with the Kenosha Joint Services Communications Center before joining the Kenosha Police Department in 2001. Over the next two decades, he rose through the ranks from patrol officer to detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain, gaining extensive experience in patrol operations, criminal investigations, professional standards, and executive leadership.
Throughout his career, Beller has strengthened public safety from the inside out. He has reduced overtime through smarter staffing, built specialized units to target serious offenders and protect children, modernized training and operations, and reinforced professional standards that promote accountability and public trust.
His leadership philosophy is simple and proven: clear expectations, personal responsibility, disciplined execution, and public safety first.
As Sheriff, James Beller will bring steady, experienced leadership to the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office. He will support deputies and staff, enforce the law fairly and consistently, strengthen partnerships across agencies, and ensure the office operates with professionalism, transparency, and fiscal responsibility.
Kenosha County deserves leadership that is prepared, principled, and ready to lead on Day One.
I am running for Kenosha County Sheriff because this office demands experienced, disciplined leadership and a clear, steady vision for the future of public safety.
The Sheriff's Office carries enormous responsibility. It oversees jail operations, court security, patrol services, investigations, civil process, and coordination with local, state, and federal partners. Leading an organization of this scope requires more than good intentions. It demands command experience, operational knowledge, fiscal discipline, and the ability to lead professionals through complex public safety challenges. I bring both deep local roots and executive-level preparation. I served with the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office from 1998 to 2001 and later as a member of the Sheriff's Tactical Response Team. Over nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have advanced from patrol officer to Police Captain in Wisconsin's third-largest municipal police department, leading investigative bureaus, professional standards, training operations, and regional critical-incident teams.
I have managed personnel and budgets, developed policy, led high-risk incidents, and strengthened partnerships across agencies to improve public safety outcomes. I understand that deputies and staff deserve leadership that supports their work, sets clear expectations, and holds the organization to the highest professional standards.
Kenosha County deserves a Sheriff who knows the system, respects its people, and is prepared to lead on Day One. I am running to ensure the Sheriff's Office operates with integrity, accountability, and one simple guiding principle: public safety comes first.
As Sheriff, I will lead with integrity, enforce the law fairly, support the professionals who serve in the Sheriff's Office, and always put public safety ahead of politics.
James Beller currently serves as a Police Captain and Detective Bureau Commander for the City of Kenosha, where he leads one of the department's most complex and mission-critical divisions. He oversees approximately 60 sworn personnel across nine specialized units responsible for homicides, crimes against children, sensitive crimes, and major investigations.
Wisconsin law requires that officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths be investigated by an independent outside agency. To meet that requirement, the Kenosha Racine Area Investigative Team (KRAIT) was formed, bringing together investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies across two counties.
In addition to his executive responsibilities, Beller has commanded critical public safety operations. He served as second-shift Patrol Commander during the 2020 civil unrest, directing personnel, coordinating resources, and working alongside local, state, and federal partners during the most challenging public safety crisis in Kenosha's history.
Beller brings a rare perspective, having served both as a command-level executive and as a union leader. He previously served as Second Vice President of the Kenosha Professional Police Association and later as Vice President of the Kenosha Police Supervisory Officers Association, where he participated in labor relations, discipline processes, and contract negotiations.
In 2023, James Beller helped organize and lead the team that created the Kenosha Police Department's Community Engagement Team, now known as the IMPACT Team, to strengthen trust between law enforcement and the people it serves through direct, consistent interaction in the community.
Public safety depends on a well-trained Sheriff's Office. Deputies, jail staff, supervisors, and command staff must be prepared to make sound decisions, act professionally, and respond effectively in critical situations that affect the safety of our community.
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James Beller's leadership is grounded in advanced education and nationally recognized training:
These credentials reflect a career built on professionalism, ethics, and continuous improvement.
