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On Friday, he retires after more than three decades in law enforcement.

Williams, a Janesville native, was integral in his time with the sheriff’s office in establishing the jail diversion and electronic monitoring programs. For the past 12 years, he has worked in the community corrections bureau as the Rock County education and criminal addictions program (RECAP) supervisor and drug court administrator/coordinator.

Williams serves on the Wisconsin Association of Treatment Court Professionals board of directors, is a member of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, is a Janesville Mobilizing 4 Change (JM4C) board member, volunteers on the Edgerton Teen Center board of directors, sits on the Leadership Committee for the Rock County Substance Misuse Taskforce, and is part of the Risk Reduction Subcommittee for Rock County’s Evidence Based Decision Making Project.

He is a certified handgun & rifle instructor and a GLOCK armorer. He also teaches ATV safety, boater safety, and snowmobile safety and previously instructed defense and arrest tactics. He was also on the sheriff’s office’s Recreational Safety Team for 18 years.

In an interview, Williams said when he began his career, he could not have foreseen working with programs like RECAP. He took the position because “it was just an interesting way of thinking and a different kind of alternative to incarceration,” he recalls.

“We are all just moments away, or one decision away from, from doing something that puts us in the same position,” Williams continued. “What would I do if I was in that position? I mean, people are people, they make mistakes, and if we can help them, and we can do things to keep them from doing those things again, let’s do it.”

He said the program gets inmates out serving the community and learning how to give back.

“They really enjoy getting out of the jail,” he said. “And the vast majority, if not, almost all of them understand that they’re giving back and the work that they’re doing is important and it’s needed.”

He said he will miss the people he has worked with and gotten to know. However, he is looking forward spending time at his camper, fishing and seeing his children and grandchildren.

“I will be busy in a different way,” he said.