GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – News of Mass Shootings over the weekend in Ohio and Texas are not being taken lightly by Green Bay Police.
“These are the kinds of things that keep me up at night. We worry about situations like this because they appear to be random.”
No community is immune to tragedy. That is the message that Chief Andrew Smith is sending to his Green Bay Police Officers.
He says officers are constantly stepping up their plans to deal with shootings, and events like this are an unfriendly reminder of the importance.
“Being anywhere in public I think people would be concerned.”
He says Green Bay is a very safe community, but officers are still taking extra precautions.
Officers recently went through another active shooter training and Smith says Green Bay PD has two good things going for it.
“We have given out officers the proper equipment so that they can approach a situation like this with a reasonable amount of safety.”
While they have to be prepared, Chief Smith says Green Bay is a great city for two big reasons.
“We are aware that there is potential here and number two, we have a great relationship with the community and people feel comfortable calling us with tips.”
He says part of the equation is stopping the crimes before they are committed.
“We have mental health officers that are out there and their job is to find people that are having mental health issues or are in a mental health crisis and get them the help they need.”
Smith says they will continue to step up patrol for copycat crimes.
He adds that community members should remember to report anything that seems suspicious as soon as possible.
The other part of the equation is updating their safety plan after events like this past weekend. Smith says that includes looking at their own plan, looking at what the criminal did in these cases and looking to see that all is in place if a similar crime was committed in Green Bay.
