Police and Fire Commission Meeting – January 21, 2026

The Fitchburg Police and Fire Commission met on January 21, 2026. The meeting was called to order and began with the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners approved prior minutes, heard public comment, received staffing reports from the fire and police departments, entered closed session for personnel matters, and received an update on the police facility project.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the previous meeting's minutes by voice vote, with no opposition.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A community member who attended the December 17, 2025 meeting said he had tried to contact Emily Schunk and Matt Lake about a felony prosecution in Dane County Court but had not received responses. He offered to answer commissioners' questions about his concerns and provided contact information through city staff.
• A member of the public who identified himself as Jim Wheeler described a 2016 medical encounter with Group Health Cooperative and alleged uncooperative conduct by Fitchburg police officers he named. He said he was not acting for himself, expressed concern about dishonest law-enforcement behavior, and called for accountability, adding that the people of Fitchburg have a right to know what goes on in the town.

Fire Department Staffing Report

• Fire department responses increased by just under 1% in 2025, with fire false alarms reduced through prevention efforts. Overtime increased, including some mandatory shifts in December, but the chief said newly added staff should reduce overtime by mid-February. Response times remained strong despite growth and construction traffic.
• The fire chief noted that displayed percentages were slightly off, but overall call volume was not much higher.

Police Department Staffing Report

• Staffing: The department is four vacancies short of authorized strength, and with one officer in the academy, the chief described the total as six unfilled positions. Two candidates are expected to begin the police academy in March and late May, respectively, which would reduce vacancies to two. A recruitment event is planned for February.
• December statistics: The department handled 947 citizen-generated calls for service and 735 officer-initiated calls. Citizen-generated calls increased by 32 from November, and officer-initiated calls increased by 80. Citizen-generated calls were lower than in December 2024, while officer-initiated calls dropped considerably, which the chief attributed to staff assignments and personal leave.
• Crime: December included a homicide two days before Christmas; the department averages one to two homicides a year and ended 2025 with two. A spike in burglaries was reported, but the suspects are in custody, and two officers received commendations for the arrests. One shooting – the homicide – was reported, with charges issued and extradition pending for a person in custody in Chicago. No robberies were reported, and there were 16 domestic-violence calls for service in December. Sexual assault numbers were up in the latest chart, with more detail expected in the February annual report.
• Trends: The chief reported that over the last two years aggravated assaults are down 49%, domestic violence is down 25%, and gun-related violence and shots-fired incidents have declined. He credited the domestic-violence unit, a social worker now full-time and focused on repeat calls and mental-health calls, and partnership with the district attorney and U.S. Attorney's Office on gun-violence enforcement. He said Fitchburg had been trending among the top five most violent cities in Wisconsin per capita but is now moving toward a ranking around 13th or better.
• In response to commissioner questions, the chief said officer-initiated calls include park walks, bicycle patrols, and community engagement in addition to traffic stops, and that officers log these activities so they are counted as proactive work. Asked about a 9% year-over-year improvement in citizen-generated calls, the chief said he had not yet taken a deep dive into the data but cited proactive work on repeat domestic-violence and mental-health calls and drug complaints as likely drivers.

Closed Session & Personnel Actions

• The commission moved into closed session under Wisconsin Statutes Section 19.85(1)(c) to consider conditional offers from the career firefighter eligibility list and for fire science resident intern positions. After returning to open session, it voted to authorize the fire chief to make conditional offers to three individuals for 2026 interim positions.
• The commission also voted to make a career firefighter offer to Brock Les Kaker.
• The commission again moved into closed session under Wisconsin Statutes Section 19.85(1)(c) to consider removing the probationary status of a police officer. After returning to open session, it voted to accept the chief's recommendation to remove Officer Melanowski's probationary status.

Announcements

• The police facility project is on schedule. Concrete work will occur between January and February, with the first floor expected to be completed by the end of February before work begins on the second level.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the previous meeting's minutes.
• Authorized conditional offers to three individuals for 2026 interim firefighter positions.
• Authorized a career firefighter offer to Brock Les Kaker.
• Removed Officer Melanowski's probationary status on the chief's recommendation.
• All votes were voice votes with no recorded opposition.