Ingham County’s choice to replace longtime Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth is between two experienced veterans, one from within the office and one from East Lansing, and both with familial legacies in the area.
The Democratic candidate is the outgoing sheriff’s son, Lt. Scott Wriggelsworth, who has served for 22 years with the East Lansing Police Department, or ELPD.
The Republican candidate, Eric Trojanowicz, had a long career with the county before retiring as a captain in May.
Both candidates have top priorities for policy change if elected.
Trojanowicz said he wants to expand the road patrol system to provide more police coverage for citizens, and cut a few administrative positions to free up resources to do so.
Wriggelsworth said he wants to tackle distracted driving using plain car and clothes tactics, as well as institute a “Behavioral Assessment Unit,” which assigns officers to individuals in crises to help better their treatment. Both of these goals are based on initiatives at ELPD, Wriggelsworth said, which have been met with success.
“I’ve worked at the Sheriff’s Office for 25 years, I’ve been assigned every facet of the Sheriff’s Office as a command officer, I know the ins and outs of the Sheriff’s Office,” Trojanowicz said. “I can step in right away and make the changes that are needed, not only for the Sheriff’s Office but also for the citizens of Ingham County.”
Despite his family ties to the office, Wriggelsworth said he would be coming in with an outsider’s perspective.
“One of the things that I can do is come in to that office with a fresh perspective,” Wriggelsworth said. ”(I) know how the place operates from my dad being a sheriff for the last 28 years, but all the little nuances and nooks and crannies ... I’m a little short on, just because I’ve never worked there, but that’s a benefit, not a hindrance.”
Trojanowicz said he has been influenced greatly by his late father, Robert Trojanowicz, who for 12 years directed MSU’s School of Criminal Justice. If elected, Trojanowicz said he wants to embrace the community policing concepts pioneered by his father, which he said builds trust between officers and those they serve.
“As a police agency, we can’t do it alone, we need the assistance of the community to help us solve some of these crimes,” Trojanowicz said. “I’m going to resurrect that philosophy at the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office.”
When it comes to succeeding the 28-year career of Gene Wriggelsworth, Trojanowicz said experience has more weight than family ties.
Trojanowicz said he believes the current leadership has gotten the job done, but change and an experienced hand are needed.
Gene Wriggelsworth acknowledged having some natural bias, but said he still believes his son to be the best candidate to succeed him because of his experience and community involvement.
“He’s done everything in East Lansing at the police department except be the chief,” Gene Wriggelsworth said.
Wriggelsworth said he aims to differentiate himself from his father if elected, with his progressive thinking and track record for public safety making him the right man for the job.
“I’m never going to apologize for my last name ... or who my father is, but to say I’m just inheriting this and not working at it is simply not true at all,” Wriggelsworth said. “I’ve got an amazing opportunity in front of me and I’ve been striving for that opportunity for actually about 10 years. ... The time is now, the time is right, and I’m going for it.”
