By Damakant Jayshi | Wausau Pilot & Review
A proposal to add two additional officers to the Wausau Police Department specifically to address homeless issues saw sharp criticism Tuesday by members of the public and alders who spoke publicly in a Finance Committee meeting.
During the public comment portion of the meeting every single person who spoke, including sitting alders who are not members of the committee, opposed the police department’s proposal.
Police Chief Matthew Barnes outlined again his reasons for his request: growing encampments in the city’s parks, criminal activities downtown, and incidents in the library, among other concerns. In an earlier meeting, Barnes said the number of homeless people in the community has surged in the past several months and his department is struggling to keep up with the need for policing services.
Critics see it as another attempt to criminalize homelessness and tool to expel poor people from certain city areas, like the downtown, parks, and the library.
The police chief is seeking roughly $117,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay for the officers in the first six months. Full funding for 2025 would come from the Alexander Foundation, Barnes said. That could be extended if the results are positive.
Barnes denied that the new officers would be tasked only with citing or arresting people and said the goal is not to send homeless people to jail. Barnes also said they need to find out what is drawing homeless people to Wausau. Barnes made a similar pitch while seeking support for his proposal at Wausau’s Public Health and Safety Committee last week.
Community Outreach Task Force Director Vicki Harness challenged the assertion that the homelessness in Wausau has grown because of an influx from neighboring communities. Barnes previously blamed some of the increase in homelessness on people being dropped off “under the cover of darkness” in Wausau from other communities. The police department also cited instances where people were brought to Aspirus Wausau Hospital for trauma-related injuries from other cities and, when discharged, had no way to return to their home communities.
“I don’t see that many people from out of town,” said Harness, who works closely with homeless residents to connect them with services. She cited a range of other factors including workplace injuries, financial issues, license denials, unemployment and other issues that lead to homelessness and force people into shelters and onto the street.
Critics who spoke Tuesday said if Barnes’ goal is to address homelessness as a whole, the city needs more trained social or case workers with mental health expertise – not police officers with enforcement authority. Some stressed that homelessness is not a criminal issue, but rather a social and economic issue. In that vein, hiring two additional police officers makes little sense, they said.
Other speakers criticized the department for asking a wealthy foundation to pay for officers that would target a specific segment of the population, creating negative optics for the city. One speaker, Nancy Stencil, called the idea “poverty violence.”
Terry Kilian, who is running for Dist. 3’s Wausau City Council seat unopposed, said that allocating ARPA funds to hire officers goes against the spirit of the legislation, which was meant to help vulnerable people. She requested the committee consider the actual purpose of ARPA funds and make a decision accordingly.
Alder Gary Gisselman, who also spoke during the public comments period, said the police department’s proposal is an alert and an opportunity to take homelessness in Wausau more seriously. The issue, he said, has been neglected for far too long. Instead of spending time discussing whether homeless people are coming from inside or inside the community, “let’s move our moral compass” and take steps to address it.
Some city leaders also appeared surprised to learn that the officers would have regular patrol and enforcement duties and not work exclusively with the city’s community outreach specialist on homelessness, Tracy Rieger. Nearly all the residents and alders who spoke said they would prefer the new hires, if approved, to work directly with Rieger.
Alder Sarah Watson asked what officers would be tasked with, if enforcement is not the goal. She said she had been under the impression that the officers would be partnering with Rieger in their work.
Barnes said the officers would be in constant touch with Rieger to find where homeless residents are and help connect with the resources they need. The community outreach specialist does not have enforcement authority.
Watson further asked whether the officers would have any special educational qualifications or counseling backgrounds to assist in their duties. Barnes said that while he would have preferred a perfect hire with those qualities, it was not possible to have those in the positions he is aiming to hire. But the officers will have to demonstration the understanding of, and empathy with, people who lack permanent housing and work to build trust with them. Job details will be worked out with Human Resources Director James Henderson, he said.
Alder Doug Diny said without an actual job description, the committee should not consider the proposal.
And Alder Lisa Rasmussen reminded the Finance Committee that their role is to deal with the financial aspect of the proposal. She suggested scoring Barnes’ proposal for ARPA funding against remaining proposals, and come back to the issue at the next meeting.
The proposal is likely to be taken up by the Human Resources Committee on April 8 and the Finance Committee again the following day.
