The Take a Stand Against Campaign saw community support on Wednesday, March 15th as they held their second of five town hall meetings hosted by the Stanley Boyd School in the Stanley Boyd School …
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The Take a Stand Against Campaign saw community support on Wednesday, March 15th as they held their second of five town hall meetings hosted by the Stanley Boyd School in the Stanley Boyd School Library. The first half of the evening was shared information as speakers talked on a variety of subjects relating to substance abuse, the dangers of addiction, and adverse childhood experiences. Attendees were welcomed by Stanley Police Chief Lance Weiland on behalf of the Stanley and Cadott Police Departments and Take a Stand Against Meth Campaign. Speakers included Lake Hallie Police Chief Edward Orgon who spoke on drug related issues in our local areas, specific drugs targeting our towns and how they are trafficked into the area, and what to look for to keep our neighborhoods safe. Rose Baier, Criminal Justice Services Director, spoke on the origin and benefits of Chippewa County Crime Stoppers. Melissa Ives, a Community Health Outreach Specialist for HSHS Hospital in Chippewa Falls, and Jeanne Walsh, UW- Madison Human Development and Relationship Educator, spoke on adverse childhood experiences and why individuals choose to start using substances. Shannon Starr, project director at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital spoke on the definition of harm reduction and harm reduction strategies aimed at reducing negative consequences. Sheriff Travis Hakes was in attendance to share his insight and experiences with attendees as well. Other topics included community resources, foster care, success stories and programs currently available. Along with law enforcement and media, community members can work together to help keep our neighborhoods safe.
Attendees also listened to an overview of Chippewa County Crime Stoppers and how community members can work together with law enforcement and contribute to make their local communities safe. Chippewa County Crime Stoppers is a non-profit organization run by volunteer board members in partnership with law enforcement agencies throughout the county. With a cash reward process for tips that lead to arrests, Chippewa County Crime Stoppers has received over 100 tips since it began in January 2022. There are many ways for people to submit tips anonymously by phone, through the website, and more recently, on the mobile app. Chief Orgon urged community members to be on the lookout for things around them that are out of the ordinary such as needles or syringes on the street, cars coming by at all hours of the night, noxious odors coming from a building or a house. Rose Baier agreed, “It takes a community. It takes just one person to say, ‘This isn’t right, this looks strange.’”
The second half of the night was a question-and-answer session with five panelists, who have been personally affected by drugs and addiction, including a foster parent, community members who had battled addictions, a mental health professional, and Cadott Police Chief Darryl Pries who shared some examples of suspicious activity and how it can help law enforcement when community members report it. Chief Pries stated that they don’t want anyone to put themselves in danger but when asked what type of information is helpful to report to law enforcement, added, “As specific as you can get when you give that information to a dispatcher or a police officer.”
New this year, an area for youth ten and up was available where they met with school resource officers and school representatives who shared information to help raise awareness on the dangers of drug use, what to look for, and what to do if they are approached to use drugs. They also played interactive educational games and heard from a youth whose parent battled addiction.
For more information on Chippewa County Crime Stoppers, visit their website at www.chippewacountycrimestoppers.org or call 715-944-3949.
For more information on the Take a Stand Against Meth Campaign, visit their website at www.takeastandagainstmeth.org, on Facebook or Instagram @standagainstmeth, and on Twitter @nomethchippewa.
For information on becoming a foster parent, contact Michelle Collins at mcollins@co.chippewa.wi.us
