Menomonee Falls police report: staffing short of authorized levels while serious crimes fall and traffic crashes rise

Chief Waters presented the Menomonee Falls Police Department’s quarterly report at the April 20 village board meeting, outlining staffing, operations and crime statistics for the first quarter of 2026. He said the department is authorized for 67.1 sworn officers, had 64.1 assigned and an average daily operational sworn staff of about 55 after deductions for light duty and FMLA.

The chief reported two recent lateral hires, Jennifer Ball and Melissa Kuchenbecker, and noted other personnel changes including one detective retirement, one officer resignation (later moving into a support role) and one termination. “We’re very fortunate to pick up two officers that already had the academy,” he said, describing the longer training and onboarding timelines that delay bringing new hires to full operational status.

On calls and crime, the report showed an 8% increase in total assignments from 2025 to 2026, and a 31% drop in Group A offenses (from 239 to 164). Chief Waters said he had no definitive explanation for the decline and welcomed input: “To say that there’s preventative measures that we can take to prevent those types of offenses would be naive,” he said.

At the same time the department recorded an approximately 40% increase in traffic crashes, with property-damage-only crashes up 47% and hit-and-runs up 29%; there were no fatalities in the quarter. Traffic-enforcement activity rose, with increases in traffic stops and citations and a 7% rise in written warnings. The chief attributed part of the crash uptick to volatile weather during the period and said directed patrols continue to be used where citizen and business complaints identify hotspots.

Chief Waters summarized investigative and technology initiatives: 13 Flock camera alerts yielding six arrests and several solved hit-and-run cases; K-9 deployments in schools (11 deployments including searches and vehicle sniffs); ongoing D.A.R.E. instruction and community outreach events; and plans to pilot five e-bikes for event patrols. He also said the department is researching drone programs and an automated alarm-management product to streamline permitting and false-alarm processing.

Trustees pressed the chief for context. One trustee asked whether auto-theft trends had been falling historically; the chief said they have trended down in recent years and described staffing pressures from military leave and retirements. He said two retirements expected in the second quarter will temporarily reduce numbers and that new hires entering the academy in August will not complete field training and be fully operational until the following spring.

The chief closed by thanking outgoing trustees and noting continued work with village staff and architects on the public-safety facility expansion and remodel. The board did not take any action at the meeting beyond questions and discussion.