Village explores its long-term police options
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Summer racial unrest and the opioid crisis were among the weighty topics Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling touched on last week as he discussed the state of his department with Village of Waterford officials.
Schmaling made an appearance at the regular monthly Village Board meeting, held Sept. 14, with a two-pronged goal — to pitch the village on how his agency could provide police services to the community and share his thoughts on current hot-button topics.
The village, which has received police services through the Town of Waterford for the past five years, is in the midst of exploring its contractual options in the road ahead. Racine County Sheriff’s deputies had patrolled the village in 2015 and prior as part of a decades-long contractual agreement.
During the preliminary discussion this week about the Sheriff’s Department’s potential return to the community, Village Administrator Zeke Jackson and Village President Don Houston each emphasized the conversation was preliminary.
“There’s several different pieces to this,” Jackson said. “We’re not making any decisions tonight.”
Houston added, “This is just for information.”
Before digging into the state of the Racine County Sheriff’s Department — and the potential revived relationship — Schmaling commended the town-run police force.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Waterford Police Department,” Schmaling said.
In a broader sense, Schmaling also discussed the role of law enforcement at a time when agencies at all levels are facing increased scrutiny across the U.S. about protocol and treatment of minority populations.
For the Racine County Sheriff’s Department, Schmaling said the issue hit close to home as deputies provided mutual aid in Kenosha last month at the height of the protests and riots in the immediate aftermath of Jacob Blake’s shooting.
“It’s something I’ve never seen in my 25 years,” Schmaling said. “It has just been disheartening. But we have a longstanding policy of being prepared.”
Within the Racine County Sheriff’s Department, Schmaling said the agency has in place a longstanding policy of deputies wearing body cameras to document incidents. The Kenosha Police Department has faced criticism for not having them.
“That’s the best transparency we can provide,” Schmaling said of the equipment. “We asked for body cameras before the public asked for it. It might sound like I’m boasting, and I am. I’m very proud of our team.”
Within the Racine County Sheriff’s Department, Schmaling said his desire is to keep the agency moving forward and making pivots as necessary.
“If we’re not planning ahead — if we’re not forward thinking — we’re going to be like Kenosha,” Schmaling said.
While no specific numbers were shared, Schmaling said statistics revealing overdoses and deaths related to opioids and other drugs remain concerning within Racine County.
The opioid crisis has been raging for more than five years, but Schmaling said he believes such COVID-19 precautions as stay-at-home orders have only exacerbated the problem.
“I am telling you, people resort to drugs and alcohol,” Schmaling said. “They start to self-prescribe.”
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