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New emergency government director

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Jim Hackett

 

New emergency 

government director 

takes to his role by storm

By Ted Pennekamp

 

In taking over for longtime Crawford County Emergency Government Director Roger Martin, Jim Hackett of Prairie du Chien had to leap in a bit early and learn the ropes quickly. Due to a severe hail storm, Hackett had to begin his duties a week early on June 22. 

Hackett said that there was a lot of hail damage throughout the county, a T-O tornado in the northern part of the county, damage to roads which had to be closed, damage to culverts and damage to private property. Hackett and Crawford County Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Lenzendorf took more than 300 photos to document all of the damage in order to apply for state aid. Hackett was also busy in helping to assess damage with Sheriff Dale McCullick. A lesser hail storm also hit the county a few days after the first one.

Hackett noted that Roger Martin helped out from his home during the time of the hail storms and continues to do so in order to ease Hackett’s transition into his new job. 

“I wouldn’t be as far along without Roger and Sheriff McCullick,” said Hackett. “They’ve both been extremely helpful with getting me up to speed and with what needs to be done in this job.”

In addition to the hail storms, Hackett said that a big project right now is assisting in setting up all emergency services for the upcoming Country on the River which is held each year in August in the town of Bridgeport. “We’ve been very busy,” he said. “Country on the River is big logistically from a law enforcement and safety planning standpoint.” 

With all such events in the Prairie du Chien area, Hackett said that the rule is to plan for the worst and hope for the best. “We do a lot of pre-planning in order to stop problems before they happen.” 

As for the future, Hackett said that he will continue to make the county’s emergency government better by building upon the foundation established by Roger Martin. “Roger’s done a heck of a job, I’ve got some big shoes to fill,” said Hackett in noting that he will continue to apply for grants for more and better equipment such as taser body cams, ballistic vests, GPS pucks, wireless internet with extenders and many other pieces of equipment. 

Emergency personnel will continue to expand their training as well. Hackett said that training with railroad personnel, for example, continues to increase so that everyone is prepared in case of a derailment, fire or other emergency. 

Hackett, 29, has quite a bit of experience to draw upon in his new role as the county’s emergency government director. He has worked for the Prairie du Chien Police Department as well as the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department. He was a part-time Sheriff’s Department deputy beginning in 2010 and became full-time in 2013. He has worked full-time in the Dispatch Center, the Crawford County Jail, and as a deputy on night patrol. “I’m well rounded in my training in Crawford County,” he said. “I could jump into any one of these jobs.” 

Hackett earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at UW-Platteville where he also obtained a minor in business administration. Hackett later graduated from the Law Enforcement Academy at Madison Area Technical College.

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