Cheboygan County sheriff candidate Fitzpatrick wants to improve customer service

CHEBOYGAN — William Fitzpatrick of Wolverine is one of four candidates seeking the Republican Party nomination for sheriff in Cheboygan County in the Aug. 6 primary election.

Fitzpatrick is an entrepreneur with experience in law enforcement related activities. He believes the sheriff's department needs to pay more attention to the customer service part of its mandate.

“Everyone who comes to the front desk should be treated like a human being. That also applies when deputies are on patrol and when someone is arrested it should be the same way,” Fitzpatrick said. “I've been in the office waiting for documents for 45 minutes to an hour and no one comes out to talk until the 45 minutes to an hour is up. People need to be able to talk to someone in a timely manner.”

Fitzpatrick has developed several businesses, including an all-natural insect repellent that works on humans and dogs. He sells it nationally.

“I worked in law enforcement for about a year as a reserve deputy sheriff for Clare County,” Fitzpatrick said. Before that, he was a volunteer conservation officer with the MNR. He also serves as a building code enforcement officer for the Village of Wolverine.