Shorewood Outlines Next Steps for Police Department

SHOREWOOD, WI—Following an intense audit of the Shorewood Police Department, the Village is rolling out a to-do list for the department.

On December 21, 2020, the Village Board discussed the next steps with the Police org study and what the priorities should be in 2021 for implementation, according to the village.

The Village Board approved the following action items to be addressed this year:

1. Records Management. Staff and officials will evaluate the current records management system and the impacts changing the records management system could have on the Village. The records management system is utilized by other North Shore communities and will require staff to reach out to the vendor to seek changes on how data can be more readily available.

2. Complaint Process. Staff and officials will evaluate the current complaint process and propose a new process that documents complaints against Police Department personnel and increasing the awareness to the public on how to make a complaint. Staff and officials anticipate additional review needed from the Police Commission and Human Relations Commission.

3. Community Engagement. The Police Department will work with officials and the Village Manager's Office to implement more community engagement opportunities. This could range from more bike and foot patrol, public discussions between officers and community members, increased awareness on conducting a ride-along, and other programs or educational opportunities for the public and officers to interact with one another.

4. Review of Organizational Structure. There are a number of positions in the Police organizational structure that will be reviewed. This includes the reclassification of Deputy Chief to Captain, possible elimination of Lieutenant and reallocate the FTE, determine the detective bureau structure and work assignments, examine minimum staffing levels needed, and explore ways personnel can assist more with crime analysis duties.

5. Traffic Enforcement. The Village Board and staff plan on examining our participation in state traffic grants to ensure it is consistent with Village values. This will also include examining the strategy of using a computer inquiry to justify a traffic stop and implementing a well-defined traffic enforcement strategy based on crash prevention.

The Police Department will be providing updates to the Public Safety Standing Committee throughout 2021.

The village leaders are encouraging residents to take the opportunity to get to know and work with our officers by setting up a walk along or ride along.