Police Auxiliary fundraiser cookout a hit, despite rain

By Brandi Makuski

The 2023 spring cookout for SPPD’s Auxiliary Unit was a success.

Equipment and training for the Stevens Point Police Auxiliary Unit, which currently operates under the direct command of Lt. Ben Uitenbroek, is funded with private donations. The trained, all-volunteer 15-member unit assists sworn officers at public events and maintains a visible law enforcement presence at local sporting and other large-scale events.

The SPPD installed the Auxiliary in 2016, a response to budget cuts across the city, to assist with some of the more minor police duties in the city, including traffic and crowd control.

This year, the unit needs new radios, which Uitenbroek said cost about $5,000 each. With help from volunteers from the Auxiliary unit, off-duty SPPD personnel, and their families, more than 600 hamburger and bratwurst meals were cooked in the parking lot of P.J. Jacob’s Jr. High on a rainy May 6.

“The SPPD Auxiliary has been overwhelmed with the support from the community showing up with donations and purchases from the brat and burger fry,” Uitenbroek said in an email on Monday. “We are great full for all of the community support and donations from individuals and business toward equipment and training.”

For more information on the Auxiliary Unit, to send a donation, or to apply for an opening, click here.