430 1st St Menasha, WI 54952
				The City of Menasha Police Department has always prided itself in creating new ways to help better serve our community. As the criminal element of society continues to find new ways to avoid detection, we too must find new ways to eliminate crime. Unfortunately, the City of Menasha has seen a drastic increase in drug activity over the last few years that have led to a wide spectrum of crimes in our community. Along with the increase in drugs, Menasha has seen an equal increase in drug related crimes such as burglaries, thefts, fights, gang problems, arsons, robberies, etc. From 2003 to 2008, there has been a 118% increase in drug sales, a 59% increase in drug possessions, and most disturbing has been the 436% increase in possession of crack cocaine. As one can only imagine, this problem is now a major part of our schools, in all grade levels, as well as our parks. Many citizens in the community have expressed their concerns about the safety of our parks; and the police department has heard those concerns and will be stepping up to address those problems. The police department has decided to establish a K9 unit for drug detection and tracking, to help subside this drug problem and to protect our children from such a dangerous element of society. We strongly believe that once the K9 unit is fully enacted, that we will all see an immediate impact on the community. However, as most of us are aware, just about every organization and governmental entity is having severe budget concerns, and the City of Menasha just couldn't make this program a reality without the help of the community. Thanks to the people of Menasha for making a financial investment into the welfare of our community and our children. As chief of police, I promise you that the return on your investment will be enormous and noticed immediately. Our goal is to have Officer Paul Scheppf in training with a new K9 by the fall of 2008. The National Association of Chiefs of Police has generously matched the funding that we raised, dollar for dollar. Sincerely, Chief Bob Stanke