The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department has released a statement.

It is our understanding that many members of the community had concerns about Matt being hired. We apologize for being the cause for that concern and for the negative attention it brought to both the Sheriff’s Office and the Dubuque Community as a whole. It is our job now to focus on rebuilding the trust of our community. This is a job we are committed to seeing through to completion.

Over the past two days, we have received hundreds of phone calls, emails and Facebook messages. We have tried to respond to as many as possible. However, with limited resources to answer all of the messages, this is the final statement we intend to make on the subject. Thank you to those who reached out and voiced their opinions on the matter, particularly to those who were willing to listen and have constructive conversation.

The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office is happy to announce the hiring of our newest Deputy Sheriff! Matt Pothoff was sworn in this morning. Matt has an Associate’s Degree in Police Science from Hawkeye Community College and comes to us after working in a different field for the past few years. We wish Matt the best of luck in his career, and stay safe!