MONROE — Crime has eased in some areas, fire calls are up by double digits — but overall, Monroe continues to be a very safe place to live, with responsive police and fire departments focused on serving citizens.
That is the message contained in a pair of reports set to be reviewed by the Monroe Common Council at its Monday, March 17 regular meeting. Police Chief Fred Kelley and Fire Chief Al Rufer were set to be on hand to field any council questions about the year-end summaries.
According to Kelley, 2024 revealed some modest decreases in some types of crime and an overall safe community in which to live and work.
“In 2024, the community again saw a reasonable crime rate, and the department had about the same number of calls for service as the prior year,” Kelley wrote in his report to the council. “We always strive to use the resources that we have to our greatest advantage, and in that way, do our best to make sure that our community is safe and secure.”
While staffing for all emergency responders remains difficult statewide, Kelley said his department is close to where it needs to be in terms of the number of sworn and non-sworn staff. He reported 33 authorized positions, with 32 filled as of December 31, 2024. Of those, 26 are sworn positions, with 25 filled, and seven are non-sworn, all filled.
TOP CASES WORKED
The detective bureau, meanwhile, helped patrol officers handle about 100 cases. In his report, Kelley highlighted some of the most notable crimes his department worked during the year, including:
● January 2024: Detectives investigated an armed robbery from a local grocery store in the 1500 block of 11th Street. This case is still open with many leads still currently being pursued.
● January 2024: Detectives investigated a fatal vehicle vs. pedestrian accident that occurred in the 1100 block of 7th Avenue. The driver was later charged by the District Attorney’s Office and was found guilty via a no contest plea for a misdemeanor charge and deferred prosecution on the felony charge.
● March 2024: Two Monroe juveniles were arrested related to a burglary on Monroe’s west side. Following an investigation by detectives, the subjects were identified and arrested. While investigating this offense, the Green County Sheriff’s Department located a UTV parked in a secluded area nearby and the UTV was found to be stolen from a location near the burglary.
● July 2024: A Monroe man was taken into custody following a search warrant executed by detectives for Child Sexual Abuse Material. Detectives were assisted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Digital Evidence Unit. The man is currently released on bond and still going through court proceedings.
● September 2024: A Beloit man was arrested following an investigation into a drug overdose in the 1800 block of 14th Avenue. The man is currently in custody currently going through court proceedings.
In addition, Kelley said the Detective Bureau continues to conduct several fraud investigations, including those involving Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse Material Investigations, sexual assault investigations, and drug investigations, which Kelley notes, “can be very time consuming.”
As for crime statistics, a snapshot of those cited by Kelley showed the department’s calls for service remained unchanged. Around 13,000 calls are handled annually by the department.
Most calls for service are during the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift with the next highest number being the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. time, followed by the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. patrol shift.
“Department Incident Based Reporting (IBR) crime figures indicated little change and relatively reasonable crime statistics across the board,” Kelley said.
FIRE REPORT
A highlight for the fire department this year was the delivery of its new ladder truck, a more than $1 million expense that heightens the department’s ability to respond to structure fires. The department is also seeing increased demand for its services.
In 2024, Rufer’s report indicated that the department responded to 378 calls for service — a 29% increase from the previous year. Emergency medical responses, meanwhile, accounted for 63% of calls, “reinforcing the critical role we play in public safety,” the chief said. “Despite this surge in demand, our response times remained well within national standards, and for yet another year, we did not require mutual aid within the city limits.”
Fire staffing in the department’s existing “paid-on-call” model — as opposed to full employee or full volunteer — remains a cost-effective solution, although increasing call volumes present long-term challenges.
The total fire loss for 2024 was $50,300 — compared to $359,950 in 2023. Total fire loss as a percentage of total pre-incident value, meanwhile, was within a single percentage point when comparing 2024 and 2023, although Monroe saw a slight, one percent increase in fire-related incidents in 2024.
GOOD RESPONSE TIMES FOR FIRE
The department’s average response time for 2024 was 7 minutes, 34 seconds. (The National Fire Protection Agency recommends a minimum response time of 10 minutes for 90% percent of calls for communities like Monroe.)
“The department’s response times continue to outperform national standards,” Rufer said. “Response time is defined as the time from when the department is dispatched (pagers are alerted) until the first apparatus arrives on-scene.”
A new recruitment campaign has been launched by the department, and a public kickoff event for that will likely be held at Fire Station #2 (Downtown) in spring of 2025.