Wausau Police Department. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — City leaders in Wausau will consider the installation of security fencing around the parking lot of the police station after several incidents involving officers have been reported both in Wausau and around the state.
Patrol Lieutenant Luis Lopes Serrao addressed the issue with the Finance Committee on Tuesday, saying the wide-open nature of the parking lot has allowed officers to be confronted when they aren’t prepared to be. “We expect [to be confronted] in our profession. But, the hard part is when we are in the parking lot or coming and going from our personal vehicles we aren’t in uniform yet or sometimes we are digging around in our car, doing an inspection, people can confront us.”
Lopes Serrao recounted one incident where officers were confronted while performing an inspection on their patrol vehicle. A man approached them with a sharp object and began screaming at them. “They asked him what was going on, he screamed at them and then started to slice his own neck.
“They had to deal with that right in our squad car parking area,” added Lopes Serrao
Lopes Serrao’s story drew an audible gasp from the Committee Chair Lisa Rasmussen, who said the issue is not only a matter of safety for the officers but could also extend to their families. “When there is access and visibility to the lot where officers are parking their personal vehicles- people who have disagreements with those [officers] probably shouldn’t know what they drive in their personal life.”
The Lieutenant said similar incidents have been reported in Appleton, where an officer was stabbed numerous times by a man who jumped at them as they were walking to their vehicle at the end of a shift. “This officer had nothing to do with the man, they were just walking out the back door.
“This is a concern for our officers, mostly because of the proximity of our department to the downtown area. It will be a continued concern if we don’t find some resolution,” added Lopes Serrao.
The department presented three fencing options to the committee including a black chain-link fence around the entire parking lot, ornamental fencing along Grand Avenue and black chain link along the other streets, or ornamental fencing around the entire lot. However, a chain link fence would require a waiver from the city’s plan commission because it doesn’t meet zoning requirements for the area.
Costs would range from $45,000 for all chain-link fencing to $210,000 for all ornamental. Lopes Serrao says they would include key-card access for officers and a pedestrian gate near the main entrance to the building.
Rasmussen said the group would rank and score the project for consideration at a future meeting. City Finance Director MaryAnne Groat also noted that the project was on the deferred capital projects list for 2024 but didn’t make the cut.
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