By Jacqui Seibel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
LISBON, Wis. — After months of turmoil that led to the decision to disband the town’s Police Department, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department quietly has taken over patrolling the area with little fanfare and few complaints.
Fire Chief Doug Brahm called it a seamless transition after having some reservations.
“We wondered where it would go, how it would be,” Brahm said.
Some people were concerned that the Sheriff’s Department might want to operate one way or their own way, he said. But that didn’t happen. The Sheriff’s Department tailored the contract with Lisbon to suit the town’s needs, he said.
The deputies who work in Lisbon spent time meeting more than 300 residents at the recent open house of the new fire station, Brahm said.
Sheriff Dan Trawicki said he has had regular contact with town officials and “everyone tells me they are very satisfied with the service.”
Trawicki said the mostly residential community wants a lot of traffic enforcement, building checks and weight enforcement of the many trucks that travel through the town known for its stone quarries.
Meeting expectations
The sheriff also said he would welcome criticisms as much as compliments because much can be learned from the constructive criticism.
“I want to know how I can meet expectations,” he said.
The Lisbon Town Board voted in August to disband the Police Department and contract with the Sheriff’s Department at a cost of $400,000 for 2008. Two of Lisbon’s full-time officers were hired by the Sheriff’s Department.
Town Chairman Michael Reed had said that contracting with the Sheriff’s Department would save taxpayers $200,000, based on his estimate that the town would have had to budget about $600,000 for the Lisbon Police Department in 2008.
Former Police Chief Terry Martorano has filed a lawsuit against the town alleging the board breached his employment contract when it terminated him on Jan. 1.
Some residents tried to save the Police Department by turning in a petition with 430 signatures. Some residents have threatened to recall board members who voted to disband the department. The deadline for recall signatures is May 31.
Residents watching
Resident Bill Swift has been vocal with his displeasure in the disbanding of the department. He said since the Sheriff’s Department took over enforcing the town Jan.1 he hasn’t seen any squads patrolling his neighborhood near Richmond School. Before the change, he saw Lisbon police regularly, he said.
Resident Carol Gortmaker said just the opposite. She regularly has seen patrol squads in the town. She was so pleased with the performance of the Sheriff’s Department that she wrote a letter to a local newspaper in February thanking the department for preventing heavy trucks to travel through her subdivision near Lisbon Road and Maple Ave.
Sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Smidt, who oversees the Lisbon contract, said, “Truly, I can’t see anything that we would have chosen to do differently,” regarding the first four months of contract. He has not received any complaints.
Officers credited
What has contributed to the smooth transition is the officers assigned to Lisbon, led by Deputy Chad Stenulson, Smidt said.
“These officers have taken it and made it their own,” he said.
Stenulson has been a deputy since 1995 and chose to work in Lisbon. He had been working in Sussex, which has contracted with the Sheriff’s Department for 12 years.
“We’re never going to make everyone happy, but we won’t stop trying,” Stenulson said.
While on the job, Stenulson said he has received no negative comments and has heard many compliments. But he has approached people who appear to be unsure about the sheriff’s patrols.
“I have people say that they don’t believe they have any police coverage,” Stenulson said. Somehow people missed the message that the Sheriff’s Department has officers assigned to the town after the Police Department was disbanded.
The deputy said he tries to do some community-oriented policing by getting into the subdivisions and meeting any of the 10,000 residents to see what kind of dog they are walking or the number of children they have.
“We’re not here to take over; we’re here to assist,” he said.
The officers are based in the old Lisbon Police Department, for now.
In March, the Waukesha County Board approved spending $500,000 to help build a Sheriff’s Department substation in Sussex. The substation would become a regional law enforcement center, Trawicki said.
“What’s happening in Merton is happening in Lisbon, and what’s happening in Lisbon is happening in Sussex and the Town of Delafield,” he said.
Shift to be made
Currently, Lisbon officers attend roll call in Lisbon and Sussex officers report in Sussex, but the substation will put patrol officers for the northern part of the county in one location, Trawicki said. The 4,800-square-foot substation will be built as an addition to the village fire station. They can trade information easier and work together on issues being experienced in the area, he added.
“This is a one-of-a-kind, municipal and county effort,” Trawicki said.
Copyright 2008 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel