Page 34 - 2015 Compass Now

Domestic abuse is defined by Wisconsin Statutes, s. 968.075, as the intentional infliction of physical pain,
injury or illness, intentional impairment of physical condition, sexual assault, or a physical act that causes
the other person to reasonably fear that any of these actions will occur. Domestic abuse applies to acts
engaged in by an adult person against his or her spouse, former spouse, an adult with whom the person
resides or formerly resided, or an adult with whom the person has a child in common. Domestic abuse can
include physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence
an intimate partner. In 2012, there were 28,729 domestic abuse incidents reported to law enforcement and
referred to Wisconsin district attorneys’ offices. In 2011, Minnesota District Courts handled 27,288 domestic
violence cases.

Sex offenders pose an ongoing risk of engaging in sex offenses even after being released from incarceration
or commitment. By law, persons convicted of a sex offense have a reduced expectation of privacy because of
the public’s interest in safety. Sex offender registries publish the residential address of sex offenders under
supervision and following the expiration of their sentence8. The registries serve as a means of monitoring
and tracking the whereabouts of sex offenders in the community. The Wisconsin and Minnesota Department
of Corrections maintain sex offender registries. The state of Wisconsin ranks fifth in the country for the
highest number of sex offenders per population, while Minnesota has the least number of sex offenders
of any state in the nation. Table 4 shows the number of sex offenders in the Great Rivers Region. La Crosse
County has the highest rate of sexual offenders, while Vernon County has the lowest.

Table 4: Number and Rate of Sex Offenders in the Region

COMMUNITY County Number of Registered Sex Offenders Rate of Sex Offenders per
10,000 Population

La Crosse 279 30.6

Monroe 53 16.1

Trempealeau 27 12.4

Vernon 3 1.4

Houston 9 6.2

Source: Wisconsin Department of Correction, Sex Offenders Registry; Minnesota Department of
Corrections, Level 3 Predatory Offenders.

Rate calculations based on 2010 U.S. Census data.

Rates of traffic crash fatalities for Great Rivers Region residents from 2010-2014 are shown in Table 5. A
traffic crash involves at least one motor vehicle and results in an injury or death to any person or damage
to any property. Road traffic crashes are responsible for more harm than all other forms of transportation
combined. Traffic crashes are generally placed into categories such as fatal, injury, and property damage.
Traffic crashes are caused by many things, including driver fatigue, driver intoxication, bad weather events,
failure of brake or steering systems, slow driver reaction-time, and roadway obstructions. In total, there
were 24 traffic crash fatalities in the Great Rivers Region in 2014.

26 COMPASS NOW 2015