Draft proposal opens to mixed reviews
By Patricia Bogumil
Interim Editor
A preliminary draft proposal for joint 2013 Waterford town/village police services was reviewed by the Waterford Town Board at its May 14 meeting.
Prepared by Police Chief Tom Ditscheit, the proposal is “based on just very rough figures,” Ditscheit said, and was drafted in response to a request made in April by the Village Board.
The joint policing option discussed Monday night would match the number of man hours currently provided to the village in its contract with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department.
But having the town provide the services would save the village an estimated $29,756 annually, according to the preliminary figures.
Not yet factored in is the cost of squads, fuel, insurance and other items, Ditscheit noted.
“What is the benefit to the town?” asked Town Attorney Michael Dubis.
Ditscheit replied that the town would get better police coverage made possible through enhanced “power shift” scheduling, as well as the possible opportunity to discuss contract and benefits at the end of this year.
No change is planned for the town’s water patrol, he said, or for the position of John Schanning, the village’s police officer.
But Town Chairman Robert Langmesser did not sound impressed.
“Right now, I don’t see a benefit to the town,” he said. “I just see a lot of aggravation coming down the road.”
Ditscheit replied that being able to offer power shift coverage is a very big benefit.
Town Supervisor Tom Hincz is the town board’s liaison with the police department.
He said the intent of bringing the police services draft proposal to the board Monday night was to give Ditscheit the authority to proceed with developing various options, not for Ditscheit to submit them.
“We have to approve, they have to approve. It has to be good for them and it has to be good for us,” Hincz said.
Langmesser said he believes the town is not ready to make a commitment and made a motion, which passed unanimously, to have Ditscheit’s drafted material re-evaluated and discussed “before any proposal is submitted to anybody besides ourselves.”
Before the meeting, Hincz said that about 9 months ago, he was contacted by Racine County Sheriff’s Department Sheriff Chris Schmaling, who is interested in meeting with local officials to discuss policing options for the town and village.
“That’s basically saying he wants to eliminate this police department,” Langmesser commented.
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