Baraboo City Council Ald. Tom Kolb, right, asks a question as fellow council member Phil Wedekind listens during a meeting in late April at City Hall. Council members recently decided they want to adopt a proactive policing model as they seek a replacement police chief after the retirement of Mark Scahuf.
Baraboo aims to implement proactive policing as officials create a new description for hiring its next police chief.
City council members met to discuss the strategic plan, a document new to the city which outlines goals and sets timelines for them to be achieved on May 31. No members of the public showed up, said City Administrator Casey Bradley.
“It was actually some of the best dialogue I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Bradley said. “So I’m really, really happy with it.”
Bradley
The aim of the meeting was to discuss what council members wanted policing to look like in the city, whether it was the usual operations or engaging in different programs with everyday people.
“They want to see proactive policing, really create a robust community policing program here,” Bradley said. “That doesn’t necessarily change the makeup or the composure of the police department, but it changes the policies and the procedures, how they execute their jobs.”
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Former police chief Mark Schauf retired May 6. The Police and Fire Commission appointed 30-year Capt. Rob Sinden as interim chief until a replacement is hired. Until the strategic plan description is adopted, PFC President Paul Kujak said the commission is unable to take the steps to hire that replacement.
“Currently, we are in a holding pattern, awaiting the results,” Kujak said. “After review of the strategic plan, the PFC is hopeful to get the go-ahead from the city to begin our search for a new police chief.”
The goal is to have that piece of the plan presented to the PFC before its meeting June 28 after city council members have a chance to review a draft based on their recommendations, Bradley said. Once they have that, commissioners can begin seeking applicants. The PFC hires for the position at the guidance of the city but ultimately has the final decision.
Proactive policing includes “elements of proactivity include an emphasis on prevention, mobilizing resources based on police initiative, and targeting the broader underlying forces at work that may be driving crime and disorder. This contrasts with the standard model of policing, which involves an emphasis on reacting to particular crime events after they have occurred,” according to the book, “Proactive Policing: Effects on Crime and Communities.”
Though the work will take some time to transition from the standard model to a change in policy which means the officers are more visible in a positive light, Bradley said it is what the council wants to see and having the right person in charge with experience in proactive policing will be vital.
“It’s a long process and having the right leader to institute something like that, it’s critical,” Bradley said. “In some instances where they’ve had these positive interactions, you see more cooperation, you see the image of the police department change from, ‘Hey, we just call them for bad things’ to ‘I think there’s a problem here, can you check it out?’”
GALLERY: Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Memorial Day in Baraboo started at the Flowers on the Water at the River Walk Bridge off of Water Street.
Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Memorial Day in Baraboo started at the Flowers on the Water at the River Walk Bridge off of Water Street.
Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Memorial Day in Baraboo started at the Flowers on the Water at the River Walk Bridge off of Water Street.
Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Memorial Day in Baraboo started at the Flowers on the Water at the River Walk Bridge off of Water Street.
Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Memorial Day in Baraboo started at the Flowers on the Water at the River Walk Bridge off of Water Street.
Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Memorial Day in Baraboo started at the Flowers on the Water at the River Walk Bridge off of Water Street.
Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Memorial Day in Baraboo started at the Flowers on the Water at the River Walk Bridge off of Water Street.
Baraboo Memorial Day 2022
Memorial Day in Baraboo started at the Flowers on the Water at the River Walk Bridge off of Water Street.
