Cross Plains public safety committee hears police annual report emphasizing staffing and rising calls for service

The Village of Cross Plains Public Safety Committee on March 18 received the police department’s annual report and discussed persistent staffing shortfalls, higher call volume and traffic enforcement increases. The committee voted to forward a recommendation to the Village Board on one operational-hours request and to forward the department’s annual report as information.

The Police Chief (name not specified) told the committee that department call volume totaled 4,247 calls for the year and that call volumes have risen roughly 158% compared with pre‑chief levels. “Our call volume total is 4,247 calls on the year,” the chief said, and added that the department covers 24 hours about “75% of the time” because of staffing shortages. The chief said officers worked significant overtime and that the department’s operating budget is about $735,000.

The nut graf: The discussion centered on whether the village can fund additional officers as development and population growth increase demand for policing and other public safety services. Committee members were asked to consider tradeoffs between hiring, the tax levy and possible use of state…