Republican lawmakers introduced new legislation on Tuesday aiming to solve the law enforcement shortage in the state.
GOP leaders are tackling the issue head on by attempting to allocate $25 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to provide local law enforcement the tools capable of recruiting and training new officers.
Local area police chiefs met at the Franklin police station early Tuesday to make their case in support of the bill. Sturtevent Police Chief Sean Marschke stood with Republican leaders to address the lack of police personal in Wisconsin.
“These bills are being introduced because the retention and recruitment crisis does not differentiate between a small community or from rural or urban communities,” Said Marschke.
Included in the bill proposal is funding for nationwide recruitment efforts, 5-thousand dollar signing bonuses for new officers in Wisconsin, as well as added training and certification funding.
According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, there are only 13,500 law enforcement officers across the state, marking the lowest number of officers in a decade.