Merton officials question Sussex substation

Posted: Dec. 29, 2009

Village of Sussex — A special meeting of the Village of Merton trustees is being scheduled at the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department substation in Sussex in January in an effort to resolve issues that two Merton trustees have raised about substation operations.

Trustees Bruce Blawat and David Merrell would prefer the sheriff's deputy assigned to the Village of Merton report to Village Hall rather than the substation in Sussex, about three miles east of the Village Hall.

Waukesha County contributed $500,000 to the construction of the $1.5 million annex to the public safety building on Main Street (Highway V V) so the Sheriff's Department could operate the substation.

Deputies who provide contractual police services to the Villages of Sussex and Merton and the Town of Lisbon are headquartered at the station, along with deputies who patrol the northeast quadrant of the county and two detectives who investigate crimes in the region and other areas of the county.

County and local officials have touted the operations of the substation as an example of intergovernmental cooperation and sharing facilities in order to reduce service costs.

They point out that the substation reduces the number of trips and the amount of time and money residents and deputies spend commuting to the department headquarters in Waukesha.

Waukesha County Sheriff Dan Trawicki has also suggested communications among officers patrolling Lake Country and the various communities is improved because they are working from a headquarters building in the region.

"I frankly do not see what benefit the village is getting out of it," said Blawat.

Village of Merton Clerk-Administrator Tom Nelson said Village President Bob Weber and the other two trustees on the board - Donald Foley and Ronald Reinowski - asked for the special meeting at the substation so Blawat and Merrell could tour the facilities.

After the tour of the substation, the trustees will return to Village Hall for the regularly scheduled meeting that will begin at 7 p.m.

"I have not talked to Lt (James) Gumm at the substation yet. If we cannot arrange for (Jan.) 7th, then it will probably be held on the second meeting of the month on the 28th," Nelson continued.

Blawat pointed out that before the substation, Andy Mesick, the deputy assigned to the Village of Merton, would report to Village Hall and participate in shift-change rollcalls at the headquarters in Waukesha via telephone.

Since the substation opened in September, Mesick reports to the substation to participate in rollcalls and then returns to Village Hall.

In addition, Blawat pointed out, the county squad car assigned to the village is parked at the substation rather than at Village Hall.

Before the substation opening, there were usually two to four squad cars parked at the Village Hall on the Silver Spring Road.

Village officials have thought the presence of the squad cars helped deter criminal activities in a village that contracts for one eight-hour a day shift of police protection from the county.

Since the substation opened, the only squad car regularly parked at the village is assigned to the deputy who provides police services to the Town of Merton.

"The Town of Merton deputy reports to the Village of Merton, but the Village of Merton deputy reports to the substation in the Village of Sussex. It makes no sense," said Blawat.

The trustees were not afforded an opportunity to vote on approval of the deputy being assigned to the substation. However, the trustees were aware of the plans to assign the deputy to the substation when the Village Board unanimously voted to extend the contract with the sheriff's department.