Kanewischer vying for Sheriff position

One of two candidates vying for the position of Waseca County Sheriff this election year is Trevor Kanewischer, a 26-year-veteran of law enforcement in Waseca County. Kanewischer, 46, has lived in the Waseca area his entire life, having graduated from Waseca High School in 1994 before entering law enforcement in 1996. He has one daughter, Lexi, and has experience with farming since around the age of 15, including operating some land of his own. He has also been an owner and manager of rental property for 25 years, along with owning a small business, Waseca Sno Biz, for 27 years. 

“I’ve wanted to [work in law enforcement] ever since I can remember,” Kanewischer said. “My mom says the same thing, ‘You’ve talked about that since you’ve been little.’

“At first, as a kid, you think it’s all about helping people, and it looked like a cool job and all that stuff,” he continued. “As you get into it, it really gives you an opportunity to help people in a variety of ways.”

His experience in leadership and supervisory positions is one of the main reasons citizens should consider voting for him, Kanewischer said, along with his years of community service and being an active part of and leading various boards and organizations.

“A lot of times you can just be on the board and go to meetings,” he said. “I’ve had to actually organize the meetings - agendas, behind-the-scenes records, IRS tax reporting. I don’t think a lot of people realize how much goes into leading an organization and trying to make it positive, too.

“When you’re dealing with a committee, or people - their lives come into play,” he said. “Overall, bringing my background with those organizations, along with my skills with the sheriff’s office supervisory role and investigations - I think that’s probably what sets us apart.”

Though the job does pose certain challenges, Kanewischer says that the majority of the  Waseca County Sheriff Office’s dealings with people are positive. Two of the main strengths of the local sheriff’s office, Kanewischer says, are community service and public safety.

“I think our staff all know that we try to help people with whatever problem they have,” he said. “Even if it’s maybe not our problem to deal with, we find the person that they should be dealing with. We go to all calls, no matter what they are - no matter how small it is. You have to address the issues, talk to the people and see how you can assist them.”

For the last 12 years, Kanewischer has served as chief deputy for the sheriff’s office. If he were to be elected as sheriff, Kanewischer says he would first focus on a smooth transition.

“I’ve worked under three great sheriffs who each had their own styles, and I think I would bring my own style,” he said.

Kanewischer noted that he enjoys working as part of a team, and would like to see more staff engagement within the department.

“The more people who contribute, the better the plan you can come up with,” he said.

Some changes are already in the works within the Sheriff’s Office, including in-car camera systems with body cams, dispatch upgrades, body cameras for jailors, and eventually new portable radios for the system county-wide. Some deficiencies within the facility are also being worked on.

One of the biggest challenges for police forces statewide is recruitment and retention of staff, which Kanewischer believes Waseca County is in a good position to face.

“I think we’re in a really good position here in Waseca County because we have such a supportive community,” he said. 

Other areas Kanewischer would focus on within the department are more public engagement, including working with community outreach, more special event attendance, and more communication with staff. He also hopes to continue discussions regarding mental health needs in three specific areas: the community, the sheriff’s office, and in the jail among inmates.

“I’ve been involved with community mental health since the flooding,” he said, adding that the floods in years past had a significant impact on community mental health, as have recent negative attention toward law enforcement along with the Covid-19 pandemic. He would also follow through with maintaining a more positive image in social media and traditional media, along with looking into creating a newsletter.

“In all corrections and law enforcement, [media] impacts your life, there’s no way around it,” Kanewischer said. The public image of law enforcement in recent years has contributed to difficulty with staff recruitment and retention, along with a large number of officers retiring early following the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a huge loss of numbers in the workforce that will continue to be difficult to make up for.

In terms of education, training, and experience, Kanewischer has an AAS degree from Alexandria Tech, is a graduate of the MN BCA Senior Management program along with the Blandin Leadership program, is trained in FEMA/HSEM as well as emergency management, and has attended state Chief Deputy Conferences and School for ten years. He has served as supervisor of records, investigations, jail administrator and sergeant as well as sheriff’s posse liaison and is the current sheriff’s posse supervisor. He worked part time for the New Richland Police Department under Brad Flor from 1997-2000 and has served on the Waseca County Fair Board as a member and president, Don Eustice Scholarship Board as a member and president, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #16 as a board member and president along with rechartering the lodge and growing it from 22 members to over 270 members when he left. He was on the Waseca Area Foundation board, served as Waseca Lakefest director, Matson Strong Committee, and Waseca Warrior Committee in support of wounded veteran Tom Block. Currently, he serves on the Waseca County Historical Society Board of Directors, as president of the Waseca Lakes Association Board, and trust manager of the Waseca Warrior Trust. He has experience in homicide investigations and served as investigator in many serious crimes, disaster response and emergency operations experience, numerous national incident management trainings, Waseca County flood and disaster response, was a St. Peter tornado responder in 1998, and served on the Waseca County CORE Building Group Committee and Waseca County Class Evaluation Systems Committee. In addition, he was a deputy bargaining unit union steward and served on the wellness committee, as well as having served on the rural domestic preparedness consortium and was a three-year volunteer at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City.

Kanewischer has also been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including the Waseca Police Reserves Scholarship in 1995, Donald D. Eustice Scholarship and Community Service Award, Distinguished Service Award Under 40 in Waseca in 2006, Minnesota Sheriff’s Association Supervisor of the Year in 2017, Emergency Management Advocate Award in 2017, Waseca County Free Fair Outstanding Achievement Award in 2011, Waseca County Free Fair Friend of the Fair in 2018, Waseca County Free Fair Service and Dedication Award in 2010, Homicide Investigation Commendation from the state Attorney General’s Office for Kruger homicides in 2009.