LCO Police Department Provides Report on Law Enforcement Activities

LCO Police Dept.

The LCO Police Department is staffed by a chief of police, assistant director, office assistant, sergeant, K-9 officers, DARE instructors, investigators, school resource officer, bailiff, cadets and animal control officer.

New Building – Emergency Operations Center

The first day of operation in the new building was July 31, 2023. The new building includes a conference room, a classroom, and a kitchen area, and much needed additional space. The new building also contains our dog pound with six dog kennels and six cat cages.

Curfew Hours

We are now enforcing the LCO Tribal Curfew which encompasses the hours of 10pm to 7am. All persons under the age of 15 years who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian, will be picked up by an officer and released to a parent, guardian or responsible adult at their residence. Parents or guardians will also be cited in Tribal Court and may face possible fines. Parents are encouraged to always know where their children are during these hours.

Newly Assigned Animal Control Officer

We recently hired an animal control officer. All animal owners are urged to keep their dogs under control and tied, penned up, or in your home. Residents may receive a warning for first violation, however, if not compliant after that, your animal may be impounded, and you may receive citations and kennel fees. If you animal is placed in the dog pound, the first day will cost $20 and each day thereafter will cost $10. If you are missing your dog or cat, check the LCO Police Department website Facebook page for photos of animal currently in our impound facilities. When picking up your animal, you must pay all fees and show proof of rabies vaccination. If your animal is not licenses, you must purchase a license tag at the time of pick up. If your dog is spayed or neutered the cost of the license is $10, and if not, the cost is $20.

DARE Program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)

DARE is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. DARE also offers community enhancement lessons to provide community members with a better understanding, and are educated, on the latest trends that may negatively impact the community as a whole.

Age-Appropriate Lessons Cover: Introduction to recognizing emergencies; life skills; decision making; responsibility; peer pressure; bullying; vaping; violence; healthy choices; prescription medications; recognizing risk and consequences; conflict management; and understanding social and emotional needs

DARE officers are excited to announce the collaboration with the Lac Courte Oreilles Boys and Girls Club to implement the DARE curriculum which started in November 2023.

ALICE Training (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate)

In August 2022, two officers attended ALICE Instructor training and became certified ALICE instructors. ALICE is an options-based response strategy for surviving a Violent Critical Incident, or VCI (example-active shooter). The developers of the ALICE program have found in past studies that every VCI situation is different, and these situations are constantly changing. The old “lockdown and hide” method used in the past during a VCI does not work and too many people are being seriously hurt or killed in these incidents. ALICE provides options during a VCI that will help empower innocent people involve din these incidents to take action to protect themselves while they wait for law enforcement to arrive and neutralize the threat.

To date we have trained many employees of tribal businesses and schools with this program. Our casino, health center, headstart, early headstart and LCO k-12 schools have all had the training. The Daycare is scheduled their training late this year, and LCO University has expressed their interest in training. All employees that have attended the training would feel better about their chances of survival should a VCI take place. Please note, the police department has recognized these incidents are becoming more frequent and we are taking proactive steps to help our community stay safe.

Prescription Drug Drop Off Location

On Saturday, Oct. 28, our police department participated in Prescription Drug Take-Back Day: 114 lbs, 11 oz of medication was collected. We have a permanent drop box in our lobby located at 8984 N School House Road. You may drop off medication anytime Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to safely dispose of medications. Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove them, and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in rivers and lakes around the world.

Tribal License Plates

There are now two designs of tribal plates to choose from. To register a vehicle with tribal plates you must be an LCO Tribal Member residing on the LCO Reservation. If you purchase a vehicle from a dealership and want tribal plates let the dealership know to contact the LCO Police Department at 715-634-8350 for instructions. Vehicle registration and to renew tabs can be done Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.

In Case of An Emergency

LCO Police Department office hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1. You can also call the Sawyer County dispatch to get help with your location; this non-emergency number is 715-634-5213.