Support police training bill
Local law enforcement is a vital layer of protection for our communities, businesses and individuals. By their very presence, local law enforcement officers help keep the peace and serve as a deterrent to those who would ignore the laws for their own ends.
Unfortunately, there are not enough good cops to go around leaving smaller, rural departments in the lurch as quality officers are lured away by larger departments and applicant pools are shallow or non-existent. Long vacancies between hiring officers has become a common occurrence in rural communities. This has an impact of increasing demands on county sheriffs and other area law enforcement agencies who are called to assist when issues arise.
Since 2008 the State of Wisconsin has tracked a steady decline in the number of law enforcement officers in the state. At the same time, the number of new applicants for law enforcement and protective services positions has dropped dramatically. Departments are reporting a fraction of applicants, if any, for positions compared to previous decades.
Having fewer applicants for important and necessary jobs is a statewide issue among all employers and has especially hit municipal and governmental employers hard. While every employer has hard limits on what can be offered in wages and benefits, public sector employers have significantly less flexibility than private sector employers. Larger municipalities are able to offer wages and benefits packages that can attract candidates.
A bipartisan effort is seeking to give smaller communities a boost in their recruiting efforts. As reported by The Badger Project, the proposal would allow small police departments to apply for state grants to help put a recruit through the police academy. The grants would extend after graduation and cover the costs associated with the recruit’s department’s field training. The bill requires the hire to stay with the department for one year.
Some departments already do this on their own, or offer tuition reimbursement options, but there are many communities that are too small for this to be affordable. The proposed training grant program would be especially effective for these departments.
The bill was first introduced in 2023 by State Rep. Clinton Anderson, a Democrat from Beloit, where it failed to get passed. The proposal was revived this legislative term and was co-sponsored by State Rep. Bob Donovan, a Republican from Greenfield. The Senate version of the bill was introduced by Sen. Jesse James, a Republican representing the 23rd Senate District.
The proposal faces an uphill battle in the current legislature since funding for it was not included in the recently passed state budget. Call on members of the Wisconsin legislature to support the proposal and have it included in finance packages as a way to provide, direct, targeted support to rural communities struggling with keeping law enforcement positions filled.
The Central Wisconsin Publications Editorial Board consists of publisher Kris O’Leary and editor Brian Wilson.
