Stories you might have missed from around Wisconsin.
Chippewa Falls: County law enforcement officers begin high-tech training.
How law enforcement responds to mental health calls and other interactions with the public has come under greater focus in recent years. In an effort to enhance their crisis intervention skills, Chippewa County law enforcement personnel will undergo new training this week. The initiative is being funded by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Justice by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Chippewa County Criminal Justice Services Department received about $24,000 to incorporate a Multiple Interactive Learning Objectives Range Advanced Training Simulator (MILO) into field training. MILO is a portable simulator. The technology provides opportunities to train on multiple topics and challenges faced not only by law enforcement but by crisis intervention teams. A report in the Chippewa Herald stated that representatives from each law enforcement jurisdiction in Chippewa County, including the sheriff’s office, Chippewa Falls, and other police departments will receive the training Thursday. According to the MILO website, MILO simulators help with training for the real world. Full Story
Fond du Lac: DOJ investigating after Fond du Lac authorities shoot, kill man holding a BB gun.
Police involved shootings are always put under a microscope especially when they result in a fatality. The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating after a 26-year-old man was shot and killed by a Fond du Lac sheriff’s sergeant, who believed the man had a firearm, but was actually holding a BB gun, according to authorities. Reporting in the Fond du Lac Reporter stated that according to the state’s DOJ, Jesus Armando Mendez Berry contacted the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 24 to report he had a felony warrant for his arrest and wished to turn himself in. Authorities also received a call from a citizen who reported a person matching Mendez Berry’s description displaying what a caller described as a handgun in his waistband. Mendez Berry refused to follow repeated commands to show deputies both of his hands and one of the deputies fired a non-lethal weapon, like a stun gun, according to the DOJ. The Sheriff’s officer then shot Berry because he had what appeared to be a firearm. It was later determined that Berry was holding a Pellet/BB gun. Full Story
