Law aimed at protecting judges could be 'huge task' for county

By Ruth Erickson, The Chronotype, June 10, 2024

A new law aimed at protecting judges and their families by prohibiting personal information from being disclosed on state, county and local websites upon request could impact county resources.

Scott Moore of Fidlar Technologies gave a presentation on Daniel’s Law and how it might affect Barron County at the June 5 meeting of the Barron County Executive Committee. The new state law to be implemented April 1 prohibits disclosure of residential addresses of certain persons covered by the law on state, county and local websites.

Supervisor Randy Cook asked how does one prevent that data from being obtained elsewhere on sites online. “You don’t,” Moore replied. “We could sit here for hours and talk about all the other ways to find that information — including the analog method of observing them.”

Register of Deeds Margo Katterhagen said that’s why it has been dubbed “feel good legislation,” because it makes them feel protected while in reality that is not the case.

The register of deeds predicts once it goes into effect in the state next year the effort to protect those requesting it will not just involve her office but zoning, the property listers and others. “We’re going to need help,” the register of deeds said.