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Local Date and Time: Friday, May 09, 2008 / 03:36 PM

Patrol: Central

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Central District Patrol

The Central District includes all of the area south of Wisconsin Avenue to the Fox River, and from the College Avenue bridge on the east side to the corporate limits on the west side of the City. This area includes all of the neighborhoods, businesses, schools and parks, as well as the downtown. Even thou geographically, the Central District may be the smallest in the City, the District has the largest volume of calls for service in the community. The Central District currently has an authorized strength of 22 sworn officers, four supervisors who are Lieutenants and the District Commander. Currently we are in the midst of a staffing shortage. One of our goals for 2005 is to assist in the hiring, and training of new officers for the City of Appleton. At the same time we will continue to focus on leadership development with our existing officers.

The district officers are involved in many community projects such, as Neighborhood Watch, Crime Free Housing, Homeless Shelter, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, abatement projects, summer programs with the Park and Rec Department, bike patrols, license premise inspectors, and neighborhood revitalization programs. Our involvement is part of the districts effort to increase community education in crime prevention issues.
Student safety has always been and will continue to be

The downtown area of the Central District has been designated an entertainment district. Policing the entertainment district continues to require a good deal of our resources. The redevelopment of the downtown and the police strategies required to provide for quality of life that citizens of the Fox River Valley expect will continue to be a focus of the officers of the Central District.

District officers work in partnership with the downtown businesses to ensure an enjoyable and safe environment for the patrons who visit the city. Foot patrols and bike officers are utilized during the summer months in the downtown area to create a positive experience for pedestrians and vehicle traffic.

Neighborhood Watch groups are a vital part of the precinct teams.

2005 Highlights:

During 2005, the area that has now been designated as the Downtown District was formerly a large portion of the Central District. The patrol division spent a good deal of time working on and developing a re-districting plan that went into effect on January 1, 2006.

Quality of life issues remained a top priority for district officers. The emphasis on student safety continued in 2005 with officers paying extra attention to school zones. Neighborhood Watch groups have remained steady in the Central District. There are currently 39 active NHW groups in the Central District. In addition to the various meetings that the Watch groups have every year, the district has several neighborhood meetings. One of the highlights during 2005 was the development of a Business Watch program in the downtown. This program is similar to a Neighborhood Watch program. One business owner/representative per block serves as block captain. In addition to enhancing security, the program is designed to foster better relationships between the daytime and evening business owners.

During the past year, several changes have taken place in the downtown. Street vendors have been given the go-ahead to remain downtown selling products until 4:00 a.m. Businesses have been granted permission to place tables and chairs out on the "amenity strip" for their customers. The City Council approved the serving of alcoholic beverages to people located in this area. Another topic holding a significant impact to the downtown is the citywide smoking ban. This has given rise to proposed decks and outside smoking areas.

As always, traffic issues continue to cause areas of concern. College Avenue bridge designs are underway. The impact that this construction will have on the Downtown District is something that will be addressed. Officers again did a good job conducting license premise inspections and OWI enforcement.

Goals for 2006:

The Central District, when fully staffed, will have 13 officers, three lieutenants, and a captain who also oversees the Northern District.

The Central District has been subdivided into three neighborhoods. A team of officers, led by one of the lieutenants will actively seek out and resolve problems in their neighborhoods. The teams have been set up so that an officer on each shift is part oft he team, allowing for 24-hour coverage. Their first priority will be to learn about their district and associated neighborhood and to research what the issues are. The officers will also address quality of life issues to ensure that ordinances are being followed. They will work to reduce the list oft hose individuals who have warrants in their neighborhoods. School zone speed enforcement will also be a focus. Officers will work with the staff and students at West High School to resolve an ongoing concern of students loitering and smoking in the surrounding school neighborhood.

Three schools within the Central District have 21st Century Learning Programs after school. Three officers will serve as liaisons to these programs so that the students have the opportunity to positively interact with and get to know a uniformed officer. The schools are Roosevelt Middle, Lincoln Elementary, and Columbus Elementary.

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