Grant Could Assist Restorative Justice Programs in Waukesha County

Former City of Pewaukee Police Officer Bob Kraemer spent about 10 years working with community youth who found themselves in minor legal trouble and eventually placed in the city police department’s restorative justice program.

During the course of the program, Kraemer estimates he worked with 100 juveniles. The City of Pewaukee Police Department was abolished in December 2009 in favor of a contract with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.

“I am still in contact with some of those kids today,” said Kraemer, who co-founded the Cops and Kids Foundation after the police department closed its doors. “Probably 20 kids that are in their 20s already and I still have contact with them. They actually still volunteer for the program.”

The Cops and Kids Foundation was recently awarded a grant from the Honorable Marianne E. Becker Fund for restorative justice programs.

Kraemer plans to dedicate some of the funding to the Waukesha Police Department, which has a restorative justice program called Project SWEEP. Kraemer said he has also spoken with the Menomonee Falls Police Department.

“I am hoping to work with the Menomonee Falls Police Department on that,” Kraemer said about restorative justice programs. Kraemer also hopes to reach out to other law enforcement agencies in Waukesha County.

“This is something that I did in Pewaukee,” Kraemer said. “It was very, very successful so I am hoping to work with a couple of municipal judges in the county. We have an avenue where they can meet with the officers so it is easy.”

The goal behind restorative justice programs, Waukesha Police Chief Russell Jack said, is “to help the kids become good members of society when they get older – to turn these kids around.”

“It is really for the kids,” Jack said. “It is really for these kids that are on the fence as far as getting into more and more trouble. It is a way to have them have positive influence on these kids because they have to do some work in the community.”

Restorative justice programs allow the young offenders to work off their fine through community service. It also holds open their citation for a year and their records can be wiped clean if successfully completed.

Kraemer noted that some of the troubled youth may not realize the effect their crime may have as they apply for college and for scholarships.

“It is an opportunity to give kids a second chance – a second kick at the can – without ruining their record,” Kraemer said.