La Crosse police officials focus on improving officer wellness in 2019

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) – La Crosse police officials are trying to make things safer for their officers and the community in 2020. Officials are happy with the past 365 days, but they are not afraid of change as the calendar resets.

Chief Shawn Kudron says his staff is committed to improving officer wellness programs.

“We really want our officers to remain healthy physically, emotionally and mentally,” Kudron said.

The goal is to make sure every officer able to do this difficult job effectively to keep the community safe. The La Crosse Police Department is rolling out a new website to improve transparency for the public.

“That will be a better way for our community to look into information from the police department and for us to provide information as well,” Kudron said.

There is also a plan to partner with the UW-La Crosse Police Department.

“We can work together to provide the best service we can to our community, to the students who attend UW-La Crosse and see where we can come together to enhance public safety,” he said.

Every change has a purpose for safety including the addition of shields for officers and new squad cars in the near future.

“They’re for gun crime so officers have resources right at their fingertips they can utilize with they go to calls,” Kudron said. “There’s going to be some new technology coming out in squad cars with hybrid technology. We are going to be in the testing phase for that.”

Kudron said they will be adding a K-9 to their program this year due to successful fundraising efforts by other community partners.

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