Madison, WI — Today, State Representative Alex Dallman joined several of his Assembly colleagues in a press conference to announce a bill package that will work to address the law enforcement shortage.

Representative Dallman is the lead author of one of the bills, which would provide grants to support part-time law enforcement officers and their departments. This bill helps to address a significant barrier for small departments needing to fill part-time law enforcement positions. For smaller departments, the costs of onboarding and outfitting an officer can be significant, especially if they will only be serving part-time.

“As I talk with law enforcement officers around my district, I have been made aware of the extreme shortage of officers across the State of Wisconsin and the significant rise in crime,” said Representative Dallman. “The bills in this package will allocate approximately $25 million federal dollars to recruit, retain, train, support, and equip our officers so that they can work to keep our communities safe.”

Rep. Dallman’s bill would require the Governor to allocate ARPA funds to provide a matching grant of up to $10,000 to reimburse small agencies (less than 25 officers) for costs incurred to on-board and equip a part-time officer. Eligible costs include equipment such as uniforms, boots, and firearms along with medical testing expenses for physical exams, drug tests and psychological testing. Roughly 400 of our 531 departments across the state would be eligible for this program.

“Crime is unfortunately on the rise in Wisconsin and the number of officers on our streets is at the lowest it has been in over a decade. This bill package helps to restore the dignity and respect that our finest men and women of law enforcement deserve,” said Representative Dallman. “I will continue to stand up for the rule of law and the men and women who defend it each day.”

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