Winnebago County turns to advertising sites on US 41 to aid in felony arrests

Source: The Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wis.迷你倉Sept. 09--Criminal defendants who are being sought on felony warrants in Winnebago County are getting some highly visible _ but unflattering _attention on U.S. 41.Three digital billboards are in place along the highway, two north of County GG near Neenah and one just south of State 26, to call attention to those charged with a variety of crimes, ranging from failure to pay child support to drug-related offenses. The aim, according to Lt. Lara Vendola-Messer of the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department, is to generate tips from motorists on the whereabouts of the defendants."We're hoping to raise awareness," Vendola-Messer said. "(People) might know persons (on the billboards) and help us clear those warrants and hold (the defendants) accountable. We can't be everywhere and we want citizens to help us out."Using billboards to arrest criminals is a good idea, and it doesn't violate the offenders' privacy rights, said Jason Weber, community liaison officer with the Town of Menasha Police Department."I think this is a great way to hopefully get a resolution to these open cases," Weber said. "As for privacy concerns, I really don't see any. These are people that have had their day in court, so to speak, and for one reason or another have skipped town or failed to abide by the court's order."Weber said using billboards to put a prominent focus on a defendant who is trying to evade justice is another example of upgraded crime-fighting technology."This is no different than the old wanted posters that hung in town over a century ago and still do in some post offices," he said. "That concept has changed over the years with those posters turning into newspaper ads, and then we saw TV shows such as 'America's Most Wanted.'"What law enforcement is doing is adapting to the times 儲存nd making use of new media outlets such as social media and these billboards."Vendola-Messer said there are hundreds of active warrants in effect in the county and authorities are featuring some of the more "egregious" cases as part of the new venture, which began in late August.It is a collaboration between police agencies, Winnebago County CrimeStoppers and Lamar Advertising, which is donating the space on the billboards. Six individuals who are wanted on warrants are depicted on a rotating basis on the billboards for a period of time.Vendola-Messer said the high-profile crime-fighting tool is merely an extension of previous methods, including listing wanted criminals on Facebook and on law enforcement websites."It's just a new format," she said. "The billboards are new, but the concept of sharing information (with the public) is not new."Aaron Zemlock, crime prevention officer with the Menasha Police Department, said the billboards featuring convicted or suspected criminals aren't intrusive."The persons being sought have committed serious offenses and deserve to be held accountable for them," he said. "By the time a warrant is issued, the person has had many opportunities to resolve the matter in a less public manner. When you consider the amount of time, resources and taxpayer money that have gone into the investigations of these crimes, it only seems fair that the taxpayers would be given an opportunity to help apprehend these suspects."I think it is a great tool and a very generous community service being provided by the billboard company."___Andy Thompson: 920-993-1000, ext. 257, or athompson@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @Thompson_AWCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.) Visit The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.) at .postcrescent.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉