APPLETON (NBC 26) — A new report shows Appleton police officers are facing violence more often on the job.
Appleton police officers are trained for situations that change in an instant, where every interaction has the potential to turn violent.
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Lieutenant John Ostermeier shared one story of a domestic violence call that escalated.
"He ended up swinging at officers; it ended up being this scuffle. At one point, I just struck him in the face, and then at one point, the subject ended up with his hands around my neck," Ostermeier said.
Ostermeier's experience isn't an isolated incident. It is a growing trend documented in the department's latest use-of-force report.
In 2025, officers used force 72 times. Fifteen of those escalated to assaultive behavior towards officers, marking a steady increase over the last 15 years.
Lieutenant William Krieg authored the report and said these numbers help tailor police training to Appleton's needs.
"The upper-trend that we’re seeing is not that they’re ambushing and directly attacking us, it’s that when we’re trying to take them into custody, they’re going from actively resisting us to being a little more violent in their attempt to escape," Krieg said.
"So they’re striking officers, biting officers, spitting on officers," Krieg said.
NBC26 asked Krieg what the department will be changing in its training.
"This year we’ll be doing a lot more talking with people, de-escalation," Krieg said.
Krieg said the department will continue expanding verbal communication and de-escalation training, aiming to stop tense encounters from turning violent.
Every use of force last year was found to be within department policy; now they are hoping more training and less confrontation will mean fewer incidents in the years ahead.
