State Rep. Kevin Petersen (R-Waupaca) is co-sponsoring eight bills aimed at recruitment, training, retaining, and support of law enforcement officers and those who may wish to enter the law enforcement profession.
The bills include:
LRB 5525: Provides current officers with at least 1 year on the job a maximum $2,000 retention bonus. Additionally, it provides a $5,000 signing bonus to new officers in Wisconsin. Officers that relocate from out-of-state would receive an additional $1,000 per year of experience up to $10,000.
LRB 5504: Provide a total $1,000,000 to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to collaborate with local law enforcement agencies on a marketing campaign titled “Pro-Cop Wisconsin Campaign” to recruit and retain officers both in state and from communities outside the state that have sought to reduce funding for law enforcement.
LRB 5351: Reimburse law enforcement academy costs for all officers, not just those sponsored by an agency. Ensure this reimbursement is sufficient to cover the entire cost. Double state reimbursement for annual re-certification costs.
LRB 5505: Require two technical colleges to offer a part-time academy program. Provide a total $1,000,000 to accomplish this.
LRB 5421: Create a matching grant program for small agencies to provide equipment and fulfill pre-employment testing for part-time officers.
LRB 5417: Provide free fishing and deer hunting licenses to law enforcement officers and waive state park camping and admission fees on Memorial Day weekend.
LRB 5589: Require the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to create a model curriculum for pupils on how to interact with law enforcement.
LRB 5464: Assembly Joint Resolution honoring law enforcement officers and naming May 2022 Law Enforcement Appreciation Month.
“With law enforcement being the backbone of our societies’ well-being, it is imperative to do everything we can to recruit, train, retain, and support members of the law enforcement community,’’ Petersen noted.
“In the last few years but especially in the last year, we’ve witnessed a cultural shift. Incited by mass media and social media hype, the law enforcement community is experiencing an undeserved level of distain and distrust it hasn’t endured in decades,” Petersen noted. “Meanwhile, in the past year, Wisconsin witnessed a 9 percent increase in violent crime while police departments are undergoing a 10-year low in active-duty personnel. Graduation rates from police academies are also down from the last decade. During a time our communities so direly need their protection, morale is low.”
To reverse this negative trajectory jeopardizing the safety of Wisconsinites throughout the state, Petersen has co-sponsoredthe “Supporting Law Enforcement” series of bills.