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Police report details drug seizures, Halloween safety steps; chief presents parking-fine increase for first reading
Summary
Police Chief Pete Crager reported drug enforcement activity, a new drone pilot certification, and Halloween safety plans; the chief also presented a first reading of a proposed $5 increase to parking fines to align Waupaca with peer cities.
Police Chief Pete Crager summarized public-safety activity for September and outlined police plans for upcoming events while presenting a proposed increase to parking fines for council consideration.
Crager reported 593 calls for service in September, 84 traffic stops that produced 54 citations and 24 warnings, and 16 criminal charges referred to the district attorney’s office. He said the department assisted the central Wisconsin drug task force on a neighboring-county investigation that seized "just over 400 grams of methamphetamine and 0.5 grams of fentanyl." The department also took possession of a vehicle tied to methamphetamine trafficking that will be auctioned through the Wisconsin surplus online auction.
Crager announced Officer Sadinski completed drone pilot certification and the department will have additional night-shift drone coverage. The department will participate in the national drug take-back event on Oct. 25 and is planning pedestrian-safety measures for trick-or-treating on Oct. 31, including temporary no-parking signage and extra patrols in Timber Drive and Swan Park neighborhoods. Crager said Halloween on Main will include child safety kits and fingerprinting packets for parents.
On parking enforcement, Crager presented a first reading of an ordinance to amend Waupaca Municipal Code chapter 7.05(9) to raise many parking penalties by roughly $5. The chief said the primary downtown overtime-parking violation would move from $5 to $10 and overnight parking from $15 to $20, bringing Waupaca closer to neighboring jurisdictions. Crager said the Police and Fire Commission reviewed and supported the proposed changes; this was a first reading and no vote was taken.
Council members asked for enforcement counts and context. Crager said daily enforcement focuses on downtown Monday–Friday time limits and that some repeat violators appear to treat the current fine as a low-cost option rather than a deterrent. He offered to provide historical citation counts to the council on request.
No formal action was taken on the parking-penalty ordinance during the meeting; the item will return for further readings according to the municipal process.
