Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@shawanoleader.com
There have always been partnerships between the Shawano Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, but Police Chief Mark Kohl wants to take the collaboration up a notch.
Kohl told members of the Shawano Common Council and Shawano County Board of Supervisors at a meeting Monday night that he is seeking increased aid from the county Sheriff’s Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and the state Department of Criminal Investigations as the city attempts to curb the drug trade in Shawano.
Also, he wants to get the city police more involved with the regional Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.
“We’re trying to collaborate, consolidate and make our efforts stronger,” Kohl said. “We’re also trying to watch the costs of those services we give.”
The city and county already have a strong partnership when it comes to patrols, but the city lacks experienced investigators. Kohl said his young police force is energetic but needs aid in solving some crimes.
Kohl said he hopes that in working with the county and state, more drug cases can have a satisfactory ending. He noted that the council has been pushing the Police Department to step up efforts in drug arrests and deterrents.
“Many of these cases don’t originate in Shawano,” Kohl said. “We’ve got the corridor of (state Highway) 29 going from Green Bay to the Twin Cities down back to Chicago, and we’re finding out that a lot of the drug activity is coming from Chicago to Green Bay and then across the state.”
There is interest in getting the city police involved with the SWAT team, with a memorandum of understanding being drafted, but it could take a couple of years to occur. Kohl noted that tactical gear costs $3,000 to $5,000 per officer, and with the potential of two city officers on the team, careful budgeting will be required.
It is fairly common for city police departments to work with other law enforcement agencies on SWAT teams, Kohl said, as the only full-time SWATs in Wisconsin are in the Milwaukee area.
Kohl also seeks to increase collaboration with the community at large. To that end, he plans to resurrect the citizen police academy to train residents on police procedures and increase the number of eyes on the street.
“We’re also expanding our Neighborhood Watch program,” Kohl said. “If we get that citizen involvement, our crime will go down.”
Kohl said the city has eliminated its Police Department website, www.shawanopd.org, due to lack of use. Instead, officers are utilizing Facebook, Twitter and other social media to reach out to residents.
“I’m happy to say that I’ve got 25 followers on Twitter,” Kohl said.