APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – While the number of reported crimes in the city dropped by roughly 3.7-percent in 2016, the amount of citizen calls received increased by nearly 6.5-percent from the year prior and were the most since 2007. Sergeant David Lund…
“Our officers are going out on a lot of calls for service. Checking on people’s welfare….a lot that being related to drug issues, mental health issues, alcohol issues”
Lund says his community was not immune to the heightened racial tensions that were seen throughout the country in 2016.
“Some students from Lawrence University would tell us that profanities were being yelled at them, vulgarities directed at them as they were walking on College Avenue”
Officer safety is among the items highlighted in the report.
There were 15 officer attacks last year, including a May incident where a shoplifting suspect attacked and shot Officer Stephanie Wiener before taking his own life.
The department also saw an 8.7-percent increase in the number of reports taken.
While there was a significant year-to-year drop in rapes and other sexual assaults, Lund says Appleton had more robberies and aggravated assaults in 2016.
