Proposal offered for town policing

Sheriff touts benefits of using his department

By Patricia Bogumil

Interim Editor

A strong police presence was felt at the Waterford Town Hall Monday night, and not because any emergency was in progress.

Officers from county and local departments joined area residents in hearing a presentation for police services given by Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling.

His presentation was an alternative to a draft proposal for joint town/village police services given by Town Police Chief Tom Ditscheit May 14.

Ditscheit’s joint town/village policing option would match the number of man hours currently provided to the Village of Waterford in its contract with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department, but aim to offer services at less cost.

It received a polite but cool reception May 14 from the town board, with concerns expressed about how such a plan would benefit the township.

Monday night, Schmaling’s proposal received a similar reception.

To start, he explained that the Sheriff’s Office is prepared to provide fee-based police services to towns and villages in Racine County.

Schmaling emphasized his department’s connection with the Waterford community, noting that he used to live in Waterford township. He said five county deputies currently live in the town and another nine live in the village.

Both Dover and Raymond townships have seen increased revenue in municipal court citations via their part-time contracts with his department, Schmaling said. “It’s not all about issuing citations; it’s about productivity,” he added.

Criminals do not know jurisdictional boundaries, Schmaling explained, and his personnel are able to spot trends, such as a recent spate of motorcycle and ATV thefts involving several communities.

The county’s Criminal Investigation Bureau offers 18 experienced investigators. Racine County also provides special units such as the Sexual Assault Response Team, Metro Drug Unit, SWAT Team, canine unit and Crisis Negotiation Team.

In addition, his department would handle personnel issues such as recruitment and background checks, and foot the costs of squads and their repair and replacement costs.

The Town of Burlington recently began contracting with the sheriff’s department to provide 11,680 hours of coverage, which works out to 6.5 to 7 deputies, Schmaling said. The local officers were hired on as county deputies.

At first, a lot of resistance was voiced to the idea of disbanding Burlington’s town police department and replacing it with sheriff’s department coverage, he noted.

“Now the naysayers, as you might call them, are calling our office with praise,” Schmaling said.

The Village of Waterford currently contracts for 6,570 hours of services, or about four deputies, Schmaling said. The Village of Union Grove, about 7,000 hours.

“You choose the amount of services and hours,” he told the town board.

Schmaling’s presentation Monday night ran longer than expected, with people arriving for the board’s regularly scheduled 5:30 p.m. meeting.

“I would have liked a few minutes for questions,” Town Chairman Robert Langmesser said.

He complimented Schmaling for making “a nice presentation” but said he needs to see a comparison of what services the county would provide vs. what local officers provide.

“Believe it or not, this town has a lot of problems, especially neighbor-to-neighbor,” Langmesser said.

Supervisor Tom Hincz is the town board’s liaison for police issues.

He suggested that the board, as well as residents, submit questions and concerns to be consolidated into a list for Schmaling to review.

Those issues can then be discussed at another meeting with the sheriff, Hincz suggested.

“I like the idea of a suggestion box,” said Langmesser. “Myself, I would probably have 10 questions, and we’ll go from there.”

The township needs to take its current police staff into consideration, Langmesser added.

“We’re not just going to throw them out in the street. They’re concerned about their positions. They have families,” he said.

In response to a board member’s question, Ditscheit said that Racine County’s special units are common to all sheriffs’ departments in the state. These units and the sheriff’s department as a whole are funded from tax monies already paid to the county, Ditscheit said.

Because these special services are not specific to contracted communities, the county’s communications center must be contacted if and when the services are needed in order to request them, Ditscheit said.

But it is “rare when these services have been needed or used” in the township, Ditscheit later explained via email.

“We handle very effectively most of our calls for service and investigations, including sexual assault, burglary and theft.  An exception for need would be the Metro Drug Unit.”

Schmaling said Monday night that when a community staffs its own police department, the trend these days is for local departments to provide many of the local services needed.

Schmaling said the Sheriff’s Department will never refuse a request for help from a non-contracted community, but there are times when its delivery of services could be delayed.

“I already know without a doubt that I can improve the law enforcement services in Waterford and save money in the process,” Schmaling later said via email.

He suggested the only question right now should be: “why don’t we take a long hard look at this proposal?”         “We have not only an obligation to our citizens in Waterford but a duty to provide the best law enforcement services at a price they can afford.  My proposal fulfills both.”

The county policing issue will be placed on next month’s town board agenda for discussion and a possible vote to gauge how board members feel about the idea.

“It has to be guaranteed that we’re getting a better deal, bar none,” Langmesser said.