Newly-appointed sheriff Dan Marx promises "honest, fair, friendly law enforcement"

Judge Margaret Lindgren gives the oath of office to new sheriff Dan Marx.

Newly-appointed Sheriff Dan Marx on Wednesday promised to make the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Department "the best in the state."

He inherits a job of supervising a department which must patrol almost 1,400 square miles of territory in Winneshiek County.  Marx tells decorahnews.com that in order to do that, he won't be asking for more money, but will be studying ways to stretch existing resources.

He says the key is to make sure deputies get the time they need to do their regular duties.  That means having clerical staff do the clerical work and jail staff do the jail work so deputies can spend their time on patrol or in investigations.

Marx also thanked Winneshiek County supervisors for their support in choosing him for the job.  He has appointed Greg Torgrim as his Chief Deputy.