Police Department Programs
The McFarland Police Department offers many community-based programs that assist in maintaining a high quality of life in McFarland. Programs like the Police School Liaison Officer, Crime Stoppers, School Based Crime Stoppers, Police Explorer Post, Citizen’s Police Academy, and many other programs help support our department’s mission.
Crime Stoppers
The McFarland Police Department is a participant in the Crime Stoppers Program. This program enables citizens to provide information they have about criminal activity in their community. The caller can remain anonymous, and information leading to arrests can result in a reward for the tipster. If you have information regarding a crime you can contact the Crime Stoppers Program at www.madison.com/crimestop or call the Tip Line at (608)266-6014.
Anonymous tips can also be made by contacting McFarland Police Detective Jesse Crowe at (608) 838-3151, or by emailing him at jesse.crowe@mcfarland.wi.us
Bicycle Patrol
The most recent trend of police patrolling on bicycles began in the mid-1980’s. This has proven to not only be an effective means of providing police services, but it also provides more personal interaction between the officers and our community. The McFarland Police Department maintains two bicycles for these types of patrols.
Goals of the Bike Patrol Program include increasing informal police/citizen interactions, decreasing problems in troubled areas and enhancing bicycle safety through education. The informal contacts allow police officers and citizens to pass along information directly. This also allows officers and community members to get to know each other on a more personal level than the traditional squad-based patrol can afford.
Police School Liaison Officer Program
The P.S.L.O. continues to be an important part of our department’s efforts to serve our community. The P.S.L.O. is a patrol officer assigned to special duties specifically geared toward enforcement efforts and prevention in our schools, and with the youth of our community. The P.S.L.O. is occasionally called upon to do presentations for school children in the school setting, and works closely with the staff members to resolve issues that arise in the schools. The P.S.L.O. also frequently assists in the resolution of school-related problems through counseling and the use of school-imposed sanctions to address more minor issues.
Bike Rodeo
Every spring the McFarland Police Department hosts this program with the assistance of the McFarland EMS and the McFarland Optimist Club. Officers volunteer at the various stations and provide safety/equipment inspections for the children’s bicycles to ensure that they are ready for a summer of fun and safe cycling. Bike Rodeo participants also receive prizes ranging from trophies to bike helmets. Four lucky participants received new bikes in 2008. For additional information on the McFarland Police Bike Rodeo contact Chief Greg Leck at (608)838-3151, or email him at greg.leck@mcfarland.wi.us
Shop with A Cop
McFarland Police Department participates annually in the Shop With A Cop Program. In this program students from McFarland Schools are selected for participation based on financial need, good performance in their school work, and for having no negative contacts with law enforcement. Officers donate their time to take these children shopping for Christmas gifts for them and their families, and afterwards everyone who participated returns to the police department to wrap presents and eat pizza. This program is made possible by generous donations from the McFarland Police and Fire Associations, local businesses, and private citizens. If you have questions about this program, or if you would like to make a contribution to help with next years program contact Officer Dori Korfmacher at (608) 838-3151, or email her at dori.korfmacher@mcfarland.wi.us.