The League of Women Voters of Door County Watch monitors Door County local governments to understand and shine a light on issues important to the League. In this column, I'll share a snapshot of what's happening in county, city, and school government, as seen through the lens of positions important to the League of Women Voters.
Position: Public security
Door County Judicial and Public Safety Commission, April 2.
The Door County Sheriff's Office's 2023 Annual Use of Force Report was released during the meeting. In 2023, there were a total of 12,664 calls or traffic stops made by the Patrol Division. There were six use-of-force incidents in 2023, down from eight in 2022 and 11 in 2021. These included passive measures, weapon displays, Taser displays, and compliance. Hold and deployment of tasers. All incidents were reviewed.
There were nine use-of-force incidents in the prison sector in 2023, up from one in 2022. Chief Deputy Patrick McCarty's report attributes this increase to the prevalence of mental health issues in prisons, combative inmates and inmates. . An inmate attempts self-harm. All incidents were reviewed. In some cases, additional training and procedural changes were recommended. All staff receive crisis intervention training.
The 2023 Fair and Objective Police Activity Report has been shared. Details include citations and reservations by race and age. 87% of the reservations were individuals between the ages of 20 and 59. The felony classification increased from 72 charges in 2022 to 96 charges.
Joint meeting of the Resources and Planning Committee and the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, April 2.
The committee discussed the ongoing Uniform Address Ordinance project, which will be put back out to bid after bids exceeded budget and installation costs were higher than expected.
Recommendations included a review of project parameters. Emergency services use geo-mapping technology to obtain location information, but they still require an address sign on your driveway to confirm your location. The new signs will now be reflective blue double-sided signs and will be installed perpendicular to the road. All signs and most pillars will need to be replaced. It is also important to clarify which county department will be responsible for uniform address assignment and signage oversight (previously the Land Use Services Department was responsible).
New/amended ordinances must be created and adopted, manuals updated, and increased budgets approved before new bid requests can be submitted.
Job Title: Public Access to Government
Liberty Grove Annual Town Meeting, April 16th
Following audience questions about providing the public with a way to virtually observe meetings, the City of Liberty Grove integrates Microsoft Teams into its technology and provides individuals with a link to observe town meetings. I found out that it can be done. The town is not currently advertising this proposal on its website, but anyone can request a link to an upcoming meeting by emailing Town Clerk Pamela Donato. [email protected]. Anyone wishing to make public comments must attend the meeting in person. According to town officials, during the test and learn phase of the Microsoft Teams integration, requests for the link at least 24 hours in advance would be appreciated.
Position: Meeting basic human needs
Annual General Meeting of the City of Sevastopol April 16th
Sevastopol secured an $816,000 grant to cover broadband costs. The upgrade process will begin in May or June of this year, and the connection will be completed approximately 24 months later.
League Lens is part of a community journalism project aimed at keeping Pulse readers informed about issues being discussed at city, school board, and county commission and board meetings. A monthly column produced by League Observer Corp. in collaboration with Peninsula Pulse. . If you are interested in joining the Observatory, please contact us. [email protected].
