The first batch of Rosaries under the Combat Rosaries for Heroes program were presented to Sheriff David J. Mahoney of the Dane County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin.

“I just donated 60 Combat Rosaries to Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney for all of his law enforcement officers,” Fr. Richard Heilman wrote on Facebook.

My dream is to donate these to all the military, law enforcement and first responders

Father Heilman presented 60 gunmetal-tone Combat Rosaries in two custom hard-shell cases. Each Rosary was touched to 165 relics, including a relic of the True Cross. The Rosaries were presented in zippered leather pouches for easy carrying in a pocket. The presentation was made at St. Mary of Pine Bluff Catholic Church, where Fr. Heilman serves as pastor.

Mahoney commands a staff of nearly 600, including deputies, detectives, jail personnel and an array of support staff. About 80 percent of the department’s workforce consists of sworn staff.  The sheriff’s department includes a variety of service roles: Patrol, Investigations, Jail, Prisoner Conveyances & Extradition, Warrant & Civil Process Service, Court Bailiff & Security, Airport Security, Task Force, and Marine & Trail Enforcement.  Personnel also serve on specialty teams, including  HDU-Hazardous Devices Unit (formerly: EOD/bomb squad), Tactical Response Team (special weapons and tactics), Special Events Team (crowd control), K-9 Unit,  Dive Recovery Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, Honor Guard, and Traffic Reconstruction Team.

Dane County has a population of 546,695 and includes nearly 1,200 square miles of land. The county is home to the state capital, Madison. Dane County is divided into 33 townships that contain eight cities, 20 villages and more than 50 unincorporated communities.