Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Police topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayville police report shows steady call volume, rising emergency detentions and tech shortfalls
Summary
Police Chief told the Public Safety Committee the department handled 5,254 calls for service in 2024, described longer emergency-detention incidents this January that generated overtime, and urged council attention to telephone and internet problems that are impeding evidence uploads.
Police Chief reported to the Mayville Public Safety Committee that the department responded to 5,254 calls for service in 2024 and that overall call volume is “pretty average” compared with recent years.
The chief said mental-health related emergency detentions have increased in early 2025. “Those couple of calls that we've had this year have accounted for 26 hours of overtime just in 1 just to date,” the chief said, describing instances that tied up officers for extended periods while awaiting hospital medical clearance or human services placement.
The chief told committee members the county has added an in-house crisis worker who may assist on some calls but said it is “yet to be seen if that's gonna be effective or not.” He said Mayville’s limited patrol staffing on weekends and nights — sometimes only one or two officers — makes lengthy detentions particularly costly in overtime and operational strain.
Committee members heard that the department is participating in Internet Crimes Against Children investigations and in drug-task-force efforts coordinated with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department; the chief said Mayville now has more input on daily operations through a regional executive committee.
The department also reported success with state-funded traffic enforcement grant deployments and said the grant program runs through October. The chief said the deployments have led to more warnings than tickets and “I think the streets are safer now because of that.”
The chief asked the council to prioritize improving the department’s building internet and phone systems. “Our desk phones don't work,” he said, and poor connectivity is preventing timely uploads of video and documents to the district attorney's new evidence system. He said the city’s new IT vendor is “looking into” alternatives and that city administration is engaged on the problem.
On capital items, the department has ordered tornado-siren equipment (estimated 10–12 week lead time) and is awaiting confirmation to place a 2025 squad vehicle order as part of capital improvements. The chief also raised ongoing policy-review costs for Lexipol and said the contract has become more expensive.
Committee members asked questions and were informed the concerns about emergency detentions, evidence uploads and the phone system are ongoing operational issues that staff and administration are working to resolve.
