The city of Shawano now has stiffer penalties on the books for a host of crimes that haven’t typically risen to the level of prosecution by the district attorney’s office.
Police Chief Mark Kohl said there have been a number of instances where the backlog of cases at the Shawano-Menominee County District Attorney’s Office has prevented criminal prosecution for such things as small amounts of marijuana.
In some cases, he said, that has included only trace amounts, such as marijuana residue taken from a pipe.
The city already had ordinances on the books that allowed for prosecution in municipal court, but, “the fines were real minimal,” Kohl said.
“The fines were so minimal that a lot of suspects we would get into court either didn’t want to pay the fine or it didn’t mean anything to them,” Kohl said. “The municipal court response was to perhaps suspend their license or maybe issue a warrant, and go from there.”
The Shawano Common Council last month approved a significant increase in the fines that Kohl said will create a “shock effect” for people who violate the law.
He said offenders are likely to be more cooperative when they see “a fine of $2,000 compared to $150.”
The city raised the price tag for violating a number of municipal ordinances, including illicit use of prescription drugs and prescription devices, which can run to $691 for a first offense and $1,321 for a second offense; prostitution, $3,186 for a first offense and $3,841 for the second; patronizing prostitutes, pandering and keeping a place of prostitution, all of which have the same possible penalties.
Kohl said fines related to prostitution have been increased to account for the increasingly transient nature of sex-related crime.
“Because of social networking, the opportunities are there for people to be victimized all throughout the state,” Kohl said. “They’re no longer keeping it in the Fox River Valley or Milwaukee area.”
Kohl said he thought it was appropriate to have the city’s fines and forfeitures more in line with the Fox cities, Green Bay and Milwaukee.
“I don’t want people believing they can come to Shawano to commit their crimes because we don’t take crimes serious here,” he said. “We’re just mirroring what a lot of other communities are doing.”
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