By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Elk Mound Public Safety Committee voted unanimously Friday to recommend disbanding the village’s police department, sending the proposal to the Elk Mound Village Board.
- Under the proposal, Elk Mound would contract with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office for local law enforcement instead of maintaining its own department.
- Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes, a former part-time Elk Mound police chief, opposes the plan, citing faster response times and the value of a familiar local officer.
- Resident Brandon Smith started a petition opposing the closure, collecting about 150 signatures as of Monday and planning to present it to the village board Oct. 5.
- Smith has also requested the full county services proposal and financial comparisons used to support the recommendation ahead of any vote.
ELK MOUND, Wis. — The Elk Mound Public Safety Committee voted unanimously Friday to recommend disbanding the village’s police department in favor of a contract with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, prompting a resident-led petition opposing the move.
Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes, who served as Elk Mound’s part-time police chief from 2013 to 2017, called the plan a mistake. “I think it’s important to maintain and establish a village presence,” Hakes said. “You want to have a local face, and you’ll have quicker response times. And people get to know the officers.” Hakes said a local officer can resolve minor matters that don’t require an arrest and enforce local ordinances, and that his own presence in the village, even off duty, had value during his tenure.
Hakes noted a similar arrangement has worked in New Auburn, which previously had its own sworn officer before contracting with the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department.
Elk Mound resident Brandon Smith, who has lived in the village since 1993, said he wants to preserve the department. “I’ve never really known it to not have a police chief. I don’t want my kids to grow up here and not have a familiar face,” Smith said. “I want to see the small-town traditions kept.” Smith said Dunn County’s large geographic footprint raises the possibility that on-duty deputies could be too far away to respond quickly to an Elk Mound call.
Smith started a petition opposing the closure, gathering about 150 signatures through door-to-door outreach and an online form as of Monday morning. He plans to present the petition to the village board Oct. 5, ahead of the board’s meeting that day, and has requested the full county services proposal and the financial comparisons used to support the recommendation before any vote is taken. Smith said he has doubts the petition will change the outcome. “I just hope my neighbors speak up and make their voices heard,” he said.