Tim Ryan, tryan@shawanoleader.com
A new push on enforcing quality of life issues in the city has been has been yielding good results, according to Shawano Police Chief Mark Kohl.
Kohl said there has been a lot of cooperation from residents and business owners who have been calling in calling in code violations involving such things as weeds and uncut grass, and vehicles and debris in yards and vacant lots.
“We’re getting a good response from the community,” Kohl told the Shawano Common Council last week.
“We’ve had a lot of success with help from our neighbors and businesses on code issues,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Police Department adopted a more aggressive stance on public nuisances that disrupt the aesthetic quality of life in the city, targeting everything from graffiti to unkempt lawns.
“We continue to make progress on that,” Kohl said. “I’m happy to say it’s because of the hard work and influence as well as commitment of our city residents and businesses to make this a great city to live, work and play.”
The city has various ordinances covering such things as grass height, junked vehicles and the condition of abandoned buildings, but little had been done previously to enforce those ordinances unless someone complained.
In addition to partnering with the community to encourage reports of nuisances, the department’s community service officers are now actively on the lookout for ordinance violations.