Citizens of DePere, WI are petitioning the city officials requesting that the location of the probation/parole office be re-located to a non-residential area. City officials voted to place the office within close proximity to nine public & private schools, eight churches, a walking/biking trail, a public park and residential housing. We feel that the location of the office poses a safety risk for the community. Although it is located in the DePere City Hall Public Safety Building, the parole/probation office is not a part of the police department; the two simply share rental space. There is no confirmation of additional police surveillance to offset the additional criminal presence. Allegedly, there will be 79 "clients" reporting to the new location; however, there are 157 cases due to multiple convictions and/or repeat offenses. The breakdown of convictions are as follows: 34% property; 22% assault (this includes sexual assaults); 21% drug; the other 23% was not listed but drive-by shooting(s) and homicide were mentioned at the Dec. 2nd City Council meeting. We hope to submit this petition to the DePere City Officials in February. In the meantime, please send this link to DePere residents and/or individuals who have children attending DePere schools. You do not need to donate to sign this petition; ignore the prompts. Simply double-check at the end to make sure your "signature" went through.