Attorney General Schimel visits PdC, holds listening session with local leaders
By Caitlin Bittner
On Thursday, July 7, the Wisconsin Attorney General, Brad Schimel, held a listening session with local leaders from Crawford County, as well as legislative representives.
Both Sen. Jennifer Shilling and Rep. Lee Nerison were present to hear problems facing Crawford County.
Prior to the listening session, Attorney General Schimel was fairly confident that the meeting would take an early focus on the drug problem in Wisconsin. “This is the eighth county we’ve done, and 80 percent of the time, the focus of these sessions has been on drugs.”
And, he was right. Following an overview of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Schimel opened the floor to discuss one of his number one priorities as the attorney general, drug use.
Heather McLimans, the Crawford County mental health supervisor, was the first to speak, noting that La Crosse is the closest place to send people for drug-related rehabilitation, but even that is difficult as there is little funding.
Presiding Crawford County Circuit Court Judge James Czajkowski, then chimed in on the sheer number of trials involving meth and the need for a drug and/or alcohol counselor, noting his disappointment in not receiving Treatment, Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) grant funding years ago.
“I understand that these grants are competitive, but we need this even if we don’t have the same population as bigger cities. There should be enough funding for at least a part-time worker,” said Judge Czajkowski.
Judge Czajkowski went on to explain that without the funding, his only options for sentencing are probation and sending offenders to the state prison, where they will be able to receive treatment. “That shouldn’t happen. We should be able to have the funding available to treat them here,” he added.
Prairie du Chien Police Chief Chad Abram added that in 2012, Crawford County seemed to be the meth capital of the state of Wisconsin, with meth being a part of at least 90 percent of the arrests.
Attorney Lara Czajkowski-Higgins commented on the number of people who have exited the city in order to seek a better environment in which to raise their children. “It’s difficult to keep promising individuals that it will get better.”
Schimel agreed with all that was said and sympathized with the struggles of Crawford County. “Every person addicted to drugs is costing us a lot of money, but my question is, if we can’t do it all, what do we want?”
Abram was the first to step in. “We’re all going to say something different. I’d say enforcement.”
McLimans jumped in next to argue that prevention is a huge piece of the drug problem. “It’s especially important for young adults,” she said.
Both marijuana and opiates are present within the high schools and middle schools. Spokespersons from the DCI noted that it’s harder for young adults to get alcohol than it is to get weed.
The discussion moved toward prevention tactics, with the “Faces of Meth” campaign from the early 2000s coming back. Several members noted that they believed it was the high shock value that may have helped turn people away from meth use.
“I think we need to be working hard on prevention. As soon as people start, they are hooked. That’s how fast it happens,” said Schimel.
Schimel added that while he hopes to invest and take the route of prevention, it can be a difficult road. “The problem with prevention is that there’s no return [or funding] until there are results.” Schimel even went as far as to propose that Crawford County be a pilot for the prevention initiative.
Eventually, the topic turned from drugs to support for mental illness. With the closest emergency detention being in Winnebago, an eight or nine hour trip, attendees were interested in discussing the possibility of a regional health facility or a diversion bed with remote support via telehealth.
Other proposals were more critical incident training and perhaps adding a nurse practioner to assist with the diversion bed and telehealth.
Area law enforcement offices have seen a decline in the amount of people wanting to join the police force. “We’re struggling to recruit,” said Abram, “we can’t afford to pay the ones we do have any more [than we do] and the shootings are not helping.”
Schimel noted that “people don’t always see the whole story behind an event. By the time everything is resolved, they’ve moved on.” He also added that the state is working on ways to help officers maintain their mental health. “Working that job every day, you can’t expect it not to affect them,” said Schimel.
In the end, both Sen. Shilling, Rep. Nerison and the attorney general were grateful to hear about the needs of the county, and expressed their desires to be a voice, aiding counties like Crawford.
