Police and tavern association produce training videos; committee notes compliance activity

Wausau police and fire departments, working with the local tavern association, produced five short training videos aimed at tavern owners and staff, committee members said Sept. 15. The Public Health and Safety Committee placed the monthly tavern activities report on file and welcomed the training materials. Why it matters: committee members said short, focused training can help staff at temporary events and smaller venues recognize over-service, fake IDs and medical emergencies and improve incident reporting. Captain Pauls of the police department said there was nothing unusual in the monthly tavern activity report; he noted some establishments were not yet updated in the report and that most incident calls were placed by bar staff, which the department commends because it shows proactive reporting rather than avoidance. He also flagged that one establishment, Hiawatha, had a recent violation for an unlicensed bartender; the owner told police the employee is no longer employed and that future compliance is expected. Committee members and tavern representatives praised the training videos. Matt Brewer, a local tavern owner and member of the tavern league board, said the tavern association welcomed the materials and offered to help distribute them; staff said several videos were filmed at local establishments and could be used as part of picnic/event license packets to help short-term servers understand responsibilities. The committee asked staff to consider showing the videos at a future meeting and to distribute them as part of licensing or event-permit guidance to improve training for temporary servers.