As we enter into the new year, I thought I would use this article, as well as the next few, as a format to share some yearend statistics on the various components of the Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Department. While we will produce an annual report to share with the community, this may provide a more direct source of information to the community that we serve.
I would like to begin by going over some numbers from the perspective of our Dispatch Center. The Kewaunee County Dispatch Center serves as the primary answering point for all 911 and other emergency calls throughout Kewaunee County. We also dispatch and page for all of our local Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement agencies. We are unique in Kewaunee County in that we dual-role our staff as both Dispatchers and Jailers. In most other counties, there are two dedicated Jailers and two dedicated Dispatchers. Kewaunee County has financially benefitted from this arrangement for years, and it is a testament to the quality of our staff that they are able to maintain a high level of effectiveness and proficiency in both of these areas.
In 2023, we handled approximately 8,688 calls for service, which is actually down from 9,000 calls for service in 2022. I would like to go over some of the most common calls that we receive and some background on the nature of these calls.
The highest frequency of calls that we receive are categorized as “Rescue Calls,” which account for 1,419 throughout this past year which is up from 1,287 the previous year. These calls range from citizens who may be in their homes experiencing medical emergencies to patients at local clinics who are in need of transport due to a medical emergency. In each of these calls, our dispatchers play an important role in obtaining vital information about the patient and then following up with the appropriate response based on location and sense of urgency.
While much less frequent, another category of emergency calls we receive are those requesting the service of our local fire departments. In 2023 we received 64 calls regarding fires, this is down from 98 in 2022. While not as frequent as other calls, these incidents are typically very involved and require a great deal of coordination and communication. These calls also last a great deal longer as the responding agencies work together in both the initial response as well as the lengthy efforts to completely extinguish the fire, preventing future flare ups.
The next most frequent are 911 hang-ups at 1050. This is up from 990 in 2022. These are many times accidental misdials which require follow-up either by our dispatcher or, in many cases actually sending an officer to the location where the call came from. Thanks to Next Generation 911, we are able to determine the location of these calls in the event that the caller is unable to provide location information. If these calls are determined to be legitimate calls for service, their status is then changed to reflect the nature of that incident.
Following 911 hang-ups is the category of “Citizen Assist” which account for 429 calls this past year. This is a significant increase from last year, which was at 299. These calls range in nature but primarily consist of assisting with civil matters where law enforcement is asked to be present during a volatile situation.
The next two that I will cover came in with very close numbers. “Welfare Checks” at 271, down from 335, and “Suspicious Activity” at 309, up from 296. These two are very similar in that the caller is concerned about the activity of someone they know and would like them checked on or someone they do not know and want us to investigate. In either circumstance, these again are very important calls and show that our community is involved in the well-being and security of their community.
Another category of calls we have seen an increase in is the “Animal Problem” at 328, which is up from 286 in 2022. These are unfortunate situations that typically result from the actual or perceived lack of care that an animal is receiving or the lack of control that an animal owner is maintaining over their pets. These types of calls can be easily reduced by those of us who own pets being a more attentive and responsible pet owner.
“Traffic Offenses” are next with 308 calls this past year, up from 273 calls in 2022. These types of calls have increased since the advent of cell phones as members of our community serve as an extra set of eyes out on the roads. These calls are greatly appreciated and send a clear message that we are all holding each other accountable as motorists. We would just ask that if you do call in a traffic offense to do it in a safe manner that does not jeopardize your own safety or cause you to be distracted from your own driving.
I would like to thank the dedicated men and women who serve our community as Public Safety Telecommunicators. These are roles that many times go unnoticed and unappreciated, but they truly do form the foundation of all of the public safety services that we provide throughout the year.
If you would like to know more about what we do at the Kewaunee County Dispatch Center, please do not hesitate to contact our department. We can even arrange for a tour. Next week, I will be covering some of our jail data, and share some of the many duties which we serve in maintaining our local facility.
