Creating a Culture of Equitable Policing
August, The Municipality, page 14
Eric M. Atkinson, Police Chief, Menomonie
Creating a Culture of Equitable Policing (PDF) "Now more than ever, it is important for mayors, alderpersons, managers, administrators, and police chiefs to work toward creating a culture of equitable policing in organizations."
Resources referenced in the article:
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A Sampling of Local Government/Municipal Racial Equity Initiatives & Statements
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Appleton - Dignity & Respect Campaign
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"The City of Appleton embraces and celebrates diversity and inclusion! Appleton is the place where people can use their talents to thrive. The City of Appleton is dedicated to meeting the needs of the community and enhancing the quality of life. We have been named one of the top 50 cities in the country to live in by 24/7 Wall Street. A Diversity & Inclusion position has been a part of the City of Appleton staff since 1997. 20 years into our D & I journey, we have had past successes, and with a new leader in the role who has outlined today’s challenges, we are pleased to launch the Dignity & Respect Campaign in 2017 to take our efforts to a whole new level! Won’t you join us? For more information [email protected]"
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Green Bay - Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator
- "This new position will provide an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to create and implement diversity initiatives for the City."
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Greenfield - Case Manager
- "Fire-Rescue proudly has a case manager, Maggie Sutton, who also works closely with the Greenfield Police and the Greenfield Health Department. Our case manager receives referrals from fire/EMS, law enforcement, and health on living conditions, mental wellness, alcohol/drugs issues, and other concerns. Outreach is initiated, assistance is offered, and resources are connected."
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Madison - Racial Equity & Social Justice Initiative
- "Establish racial equity and social justice as a core principle in all decisions, policies and functions of the City of Madison."
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Milton - Community Conversation Circle with Mayor Anissa Welch
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"The Milton community is invited to join in a virtual Community Conversation Circle through the platform Zoom about early racial history in the United States." (Milton is home to the Milton House, the Last, Certified Underground Railroad Station in Wisconsin that can be toured.)
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Onalaska - Community Unity Statement - by Mayor Kim Smith and PD Chief Charles Ashbeck
- "The City of Onalaska supports an individual’s right to free speech and encourages citizens to get involved by voting in our elections, running for office, attending government meetings or volunteering for local committees. This is how substantive change can be made. We need to come together as a country and find solutions to systemic injustices that have occurred for too long. This can be best done by beginning here at the local level and we are ready to work with you, talk with you and listen to you. We stand with our community and we never take our great relationship for granted."
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Sun Prairie - Right to Breathe
- "Sun Prairie is committed to advancing equity, honoring our diverse identity, and creating an inclusive culture. These serve as our guiding principles every day in all that we do."
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Waunakee - I Don't Get It by Village Administrator Todd Schmidt (See pg. 5)
- "I desire our government organization to be beyond just saying words. Our obligation is a basic ethical one… fight hard for equality, tolerance and inclusiveness to end all forms of racism until the job is done. If you are reading this and saying the word “finally”, you have every reason to do so. Yes, finally. Let’s be a Village worthy of what is expected of us as an organization entrusted to serve, protect, and care for all who call Waunakee home now and in the future. Let’s be a Village who will see to it that ALL are able to succeed, thrive and find joy and happiness in this place."
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I called 911 and No One Came
August, The Municipality, page 18
Online Resources:
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Police Funding Trends in Wisconsin
August, The Municipality, page 21
The Wisconsin Policy Forum
Police spending comprised 17.8% of total municipal operating and capital spending in 1986 compared to 20.0% in 2018, having peaked at 22.1% in 2013. Read the full report.
Bonus -
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Shhhh! The BIG REVEAL is not until next week, but you can get a sneak peek and register for the Annual Conference now!
The League’s 122nd Annual Conference will be a series of Small In-Person Regional and Virtual Events.
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Oversight of Municipal Police Departments in Wisconsin
August, The Municipality, page 23
Claire Silverman, Legal Counsel, League of Wisconsin Municipalities
Police 314: Provides overview of statutes governing responsibility and authority for oversight of Wisconsin municipal police departments including role of mayor or manager as chief executive officer, the police chief, the governing body, and the police and fire commission. Read the article (PDF).
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HR Matters
Workplace Bullying & Harassment
July, The Municipality, page 26
By Lisa Bergersen, Principal Attorney at EngageHR Law, Former HR Director, City of Pewaukee
HR Matters column (PDF) HR Matters column offering practical solutions to address workplace bullying and harassment. The article discusses the difference between bullying and harassment, behavior that is unlawful under the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act and the Workers’ Compensation Act, and remedial and preventive measures employers can take.
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Privileged Motions
Division of Extension, University of Wisconsin-Madison
This month, Karen discusses a unique set of motions called “Privileged Motions.” These motions do not relate to the Main Motion. Instead, each relates to the governmental body or a body member’s rights (privilege). . Read the article (PDF)
Access all of the "For the Good of the Order" columns on Parliamentary Procedure on our website here.
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Note - if you work for a League member municipality and previously shared a magazine with colleagues but would now like your own, please send an email with your mailing address to [email protected] There is no additional cost.
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Janesville's Covid-19 Positive Employee Process Map & Quarantine Timelines
"The City of Janesville has worked through our first positive COVID-19 cases involving our City employees during the month of July. Based upon what we learned, our Deputy Incident Commander, D/C Jim Ponkauskas, led the effort to develop the attached process map for necessary actions based upon employee close contact with a COVID-positive individual. These steps are based upon CDC guidance, and I share them with you for your use or sharing.
I’m also attaching a document containing scenarios that you might encounter regarding quarantine timelines. Use/share as you deem appropriate.
The City also learned how important rapid contact tracing is to getting exposed individuals quarantined and away from the City workforce. State and County resources are stretched thin, understandably. Based upon our organization’s size, we are creating our own City contact tracing team to quickly respond to our employee exposures. You may want to do the same based upon your organization’s size. There is a 6-hour training course offered free by Johns Hopkins University.
Mark A. Freitag
City Manager
Janesville, Wisconsin
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The League's 2020 Municipal Attorneys Institute is coming to you!
September 2 & 3
We have a great program that offers tremendous value for your CLE dollars. We expect the Board of Bar Examiners to award 10 CLE credits for the program. There will NOT be a printed binder option this year. Conference handouts will be emailed to registrants preceding the Institute. A few days after the Institute, registrants will receive a link enabling them to access recordings of all the sessions.
Member Registration $125 - Non-Member Registration $150
To see the agenda on our website, click here
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Avoiding Common Mistakes
The League is offering this workshop in partnership with League Mutual (LWMMI)
September 10 - 9:00 - 4:00 with an hour break for lunch - Webinar
Attendance is free for League members insured by LWMMI; for League members not insured by LWMMI, the League has reduced its usual one-day training registration fee to $50.
What will you learn?
These sessions will focus on scenarios inspired by real-life examples to illustrate how controversial decisions, compounded by poor municipal governance, can quickly spin out of control.
League attorneys, Claire Silverman and Maria Davis, will provide an overview of the legal framework governing body members must use when making decisions and explore how deviating from that framework can expose municipalities to liability, damage the municipality’s reputation, and hijack the municipal agenda.
On the HR side of things, Lisa Bergersen of EngageHR Law, LLC will help attendees navigate a number of human resources and employment law compliance issues that come up with some frequency including wage and hour, harassment/discrimination/bullying, family and medical leave laws, and social media. Lisa will also cover best practices in areas such as handbooks, workplace safety, counseling/discipline/terminations, and documentation. Details and registration
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You don't want to miss!
The League's Local Gov 101
September 11 - Zoom Webinar
Agenda:
• Organization & Powers of Cities and Villages
• Recognizing and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
• Budgeting & Financial Oversight
• Procedures for Local Government Meetings
• Managing Public Works Activities
Thanks to our sponsors!
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The League's Municipal Assessors Institute via Zoom!
September 15 & 16
The institute will feature 6 sessions over the two days with 12 credits available.
League Member Tuition: $100
Non-League Member Tuition: $125
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Sneak Peek
ADAPT, EMERGE & THRIVE
The League’s 122nd Annual Conference will be a series of Small In-Person Regional and Virtual Events.
October 6-8 & 13-15
Check out the Schedule at a Glance and be among the first to Register!
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