Communities in Wisconsin are spending one of every five dollars on police departments.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum reviewed the past 34 years.
The statewide total in 2018 was nearly $1.3 billion. Research Director Jason Stein says it was $353 million in 1986, and that’s up about 60 percent, after adjusting for inflation.
The statewide crime rate dropped 55 percent over the past 34 years, but violent crime is up. The group points out police also help with medical emergencies, and work at events.
