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Committee hears police chief: downtown officer pilot credited with improving downtown behavior; funding questions remain
Summary
The committee heard a discussion-only update from the police chief about two downtown officer positions (approved 2024) and a third position (approved 2025). The Alexander Foundation paid wages for 2025; the chief described the effort as successful but said continued staffing depends on funding and evolving shelter/service locations.
The Wausau Common Council Resources Committee heard a discussion-only update on downtown policing on an unspecified date, where the police chief described the two officer positions approved April 2024 (and an additional officer approved April 2025) as an "experiment" that has produced measurable improvements in downtown behavior.
"I think by all measurements, that experiment has been a success," the police chief told the committee, saying that while the officers' presence has not solved homelessness or every downtown issue, property owners, the Chamber of Commerce and partner agencies have reported improved perceptions of safety and fewer day‑to‑day problems.
The chief said the Alexander Foundation paid all wages and benefits for the two positions for 2025 and that staff hope foundation funding will cover about 50% of costs in 2026—"roughly a $130,000 a year," the chief said—leaving the city as a partial financial contributor in the draft budget. The chief also said the proposed budget currently shows the expense associated with one officer and that staff expect to add a revenue source soon to reflect additional foundation support.
Committee members asked whether both officers remain necessary now that some shelter services have shifted (including Bridge Street Mission opening on the West Side) and whether workload might decrease. The chief said it was too early to reduce staffing, noting that shifts in shelter locations can change where officers must spend time and that the workload has not demonstrably decreased: "I just can't tell you what those issues are... I find it hard to believe as I stand here right now that the workload's gonna go down."
The chief described a period of overhire earlier in the year tied to an officer's one‑year military deployment: the department was allowed to temporarily exceed its authorized headcount so it could hire and train a replacement while the deployed officer remained an employee but did not draw wages and benefits from the department.
No formal motion or vote was taken; the item was listed as discussion only. Committee members were directed to a subsequent finance/budget meeting for further consideration of funding and staffing levels.
