The safety of local businesses and residents is the top priority in the Village of Pleasant Prairie. Leadership is actively engaging with state and regional efforts to monitor communications and control recent protests and riots. The situation remains fluid; the Village is directing public safety resources to protect property, secure the community, and preserve peace, public safety, and order.
Pleasant Prairie Police Department (PPPD) has taken proactive steps to ensure more officers are on the streets patrolling neighborhoods and monitoring social media and video surveillance during civil unrest periods. Over the last several nights, PPPD has responded to burglary type events at area businesses. With the aid of video surveillance and interagency coordination, PPPD prevented looters in Pleasant Prairie and made arrests of four individuals that are not from this area. Local authorities will prosecute the arrests.
The following efforts are ongoing:
- PPPD has long-standing mutual aid agreements with public safety entities from the extended area to ensure safety and support is available to respond to large scale events like this.
- PPPD meets daily with area law enforcement agencies and takes proactive measures to plan and keep the community safe.
- Numerous law enforcement partners, including the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office and the Kenosha Police Department, actively monitor social media posts to determine the validity and to respond to credible threats.
- To limit interactions between protesters, our citizens and their property, we have enacted curfews and blocked access to high profile areas. Law enforcement strategies and tactics aim to de-escalate confrontation.
PPPD encourages neighbors to abide by all ordered curfews, remain vigilant, calm, and contact the police for safety issues. PPPD encourages residents to view social media comments with caution, and some suspicion because many intend to provoke and spread panic.
"As with other struggles we have experienced," said David Smetana, Police Chief, "we will get through these latest challenges as a community, neighbors, and friends."