Child maltreatment includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse/psychologic abuse, and neglect which creates a risk of causing physical or emotional harm.  The statistics are astounding – 25% of all adults report having been physically abused as children, one in five women and one in thirteen men report having been sexually assaulted as a child.  The consequences have lifelong impacts to the victims, including physical and mental health issues, such as perpetrating or being a victim of violence, depression, substance abuse, high risk behaviors, and obesity. This in turn impacts families, businesses and the community as a whole for generations to come.

Mindy has been dedicated to helping protect children.  In addition to prosecuting child maltreatment cases, Mindy was one of the founding members of the Child Death Review Team and was instrumental in creating the Child Abuse Response Team (CART).  She worked with the County Executive and County Board to bring on attorneys to assist in the effective handling of Children in Need of Protection and Services (CHIPS) and Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) cases.  With the increasing crisis in number of children in out of home care, Mindy’s leadership is helping children find permanency, stability and their forever homes.  Mindy has also trained Outagamie County staff, law enforcement and Guardian Ad Litem (GALs) regarding CHIPS and youth justice cases.  Mindy was also instrumental in helping improve how youth are handled when a young offender enters into the juvenile justice system having been a victim of child maltreatment from the child welfare system.  She is also recognized as a trainer, where she works closely with a small team of prosecutors to provide specialized training in child maltreatment prosecution to prosecutors around the State.  In addition, she is one of the Wisconsin Forensic Interview Guildelines (WIFIG) prosecutor trainers, and trains social workers, law enforcement and community interviewers on an evidence-based approach to interviewing children who are potential victims of child maltreatment.

Mindy strongly believes that a strong, evidence based juvenile justice system leads to a safer, stronger, better community in the future.  The goals of the youth justice system are not only to promote safety for victims and the community, but also to rehabilitate youth by providing treatment and services aimed at helping youth develop the skills necessary to successfully reintegrate back into the community. Tragically, it is not uncommon that youth involved in the juvenile justice system have been victims themselves, subject to various forms of abuse and neglect and formerly involved in the child welfare system.  Therefore, it is imperative the juvenile justice system be trauma informed, to help address their treatment needs and work to help youth gain the necessary skills for youth to be positively involved in the community.  By leveraging partnerships within the criminal justice system and the community, Outagamie County has become a leader in juvenile justice work.

For over ten years, Mindy was the lead prosecutor for all delinquency and juvenile in need of protection and services (JIPS) cases referred to the DA’s Office. She worked collaboratively with Outagamie County Youth and Family Services (YFS) and law enforcement to redefine how Youth Justice cases were handled in Outagamie County, with a focus on evidence-based practices.  She participated in the Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee, the Trauma-Informed Care committee, the Human Trafficking committee and others to ensure Outagamie County was handling youth justice cases effectively and appropriately. Mindy also worked with YFS to develop the Young Adult Offender (YAO) program, which has become a model for other communities.  In Wisconsin, 17 years old offenders are prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system.  While this is always an option, it is often not the most effective approach.  The YAO program has demonstrated 17-year-old youth can be served more effectively and immediately in the youth justice system, eliminating the adverse and counterproductive effects of having a criminal record for minor offenses. While holding a young adult accountable for his or her offenses, the YAO program provides services to address identified developmental needs and risks factors while also building on strengths. By doing so, the YOA program interrupts the trajectory toward repeated and more serious offenses

Mindy was recognized by both Governor Walker and Governor Evers as a leader in juvenile justice work when they appointed her to the Governor’s Juvenile Justice System in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

Officers are called to scenes for criminal activity and mental health crises.  It is important for them to recognize when individuals belong in the criminal justice system versus the civil mental health system.  Unfortunately, the criminal justice system has often been the default for dealing with behavioral and mental health issues and law enforcement does not have adequate tools and options to address these challenges.  This approach does not serve the public health or improve public safety for our community and has a significant impact on those who struggle with mental illness, their families, our tax dollars and our county system. 

Mindy has been instrumental in helping address this through her work on the Outagamie County Coordinating Council.  In addition to supporting the work of the Outagamie County Mental Health Court, Mindy has helped lead innovative ideas aimed at keeping our community safe, while helping those who struggle with mental illness.  Mindy has worked with the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department and New Mental Health Connection to successfully apply for funds through the Community Foundation for funds for a Behavioral Health Officer (BHO), who will be hired by the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department and help establish the SAFE (Safety Plan and Flag Enrollment) Project.   Mindy understands the importance of a countywide BHO, who can assist during calls for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and connect them with resources, do important community outreach and be a liaison between the criminal justice system and mental health professionals. This also gives officers time for other important patrol duties and makes them available to respond to other emergencies.

The SAFE Project, combined with the BHO, is an innovative strategy for increasing community and first-responder safety, improving the outcomes for those with mental illness and reducing the impact of incarceration on those who are mentally ill.  The SAFE Project is a voluntary program that will allow those with mental illness who interact with law enforcement to voluntarily put a “flag” on their name and address, in advance of any calls for service.  The “flag” will alert first-responders, much like an ID bracelet, prior to arrival with a personalized safety plan that includes helpful strategies for calming the individual, actions to be avoided or that could provoke or escalate the situation, a description of behaviors, visual indicators, and triggers officers might observe so they don’t cause alarm and a list of family/friends or professionals to be called upon to help de escalate and support the individual.  The goal is to increase community safety, decrease mental health incident calls, decrease in escalated/violent mental health incidents leading to criminal charges and a decrease in those with mental illness in the jail.

If you or someone you know struggles with mental illness, please reach out to NAMI-Fox Valley for help. 

Domestic violence and abuse stem from a person’s desire to gain and maintain power and control over an intimate partner.  People who behave this way believe they have the right to control what their partner does and does not do and believe their feelings and needs should be the priority in the relationship.  Abuse is learned behavior and as a result can have a devastating impact on children who grow up in homes were domestic abuse exists.  Anyone can be abusive and anyone can be the victim of abuse regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race or socioeconomic background.  Victims often feel responsible for the abuse.  However, it is the abuser who is responsible and makes the choice to behave in a way to gain power or control over their partner. 

While at the UW-Law School, Mindy had the privilege of being taught by Tess Meuer, a leading attorney and domestic violence advocate in Wisconsin.  This fueled Mindy’s interest and passion in helping victims of domestic violence and their children.  Throughout her career, Mindy has prosecuted first time domestic violence offenders, where she has helped connect victims to services and help offenders get treatment and hold them accountable; and has also prosecuted major felony domestic violence cases, including homicides.  Understanding the importance of a collaborative, team approach, Mindy has helped bring law enforcement, advocates, medical professionals and others together to improve the investigations by using a victim-centered, evidence-based approach.  She has been recognized for her statewide training on investigating strangulation cases, where she has trained law enforcement, advocates, first responders, medical professionals, judges, and probation agents. 

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, please call Harbor House for help.

Harbor House

• (920)832-1666
• harborhousewi.org

In 2018, over 27% of Outagamie County’s citizens were 50 and older.  They have and are the leaders, mentors and community members who have made the Fox Valley the wonderful place it is to live.  They deserve respect and dignity and the quality of life they have built for us. 

Wisconsin has seen a 160% increase in reported elder abuse since 2001.  For every one case that is reported, 24 cases go unreported.  These numbers will continue to increase, as Wisconsin’s senior population is set to increase by 72% in the coming decade.  In over 90% of the reported cases, a family member is the perpetrator.  Research also shows when older adults are victimized they are at a significantly higher risk of early death. 

Abuse in later life and elder abuse are terms used to describe harm to adults over 50. This can happen to any older adult and can occur in any setting and across all communities and backgrounds. It is described as the willful abuse, neglect, abandonment, or financial exploitation of an older adult by someone in an ongoing, trust-based relationship with the victim, such as a spouse, partner, family member, or caregiver.  Elder abuse also highlights the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault among older people. 

Through Mindy’s leadership, Outagamie County was chosen as one the Wisconsin Department of Justice partners, when it received a 3-year grant from the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life.  This partnership brings together prosecutors, law enforcement, judges, victim services, community programs, aging network professionals, faith-based programs, and adult protective services in Outagamie County.  As part of the grant, a team of local experts, including Mindy, will provide training for local professionals to help identify and improve investigations related to elder abuse, as well as common dynamics prevalent in elder abuse cases, and aging.  The team will also establish a coordinated community response to elder abuse to improve services.

Does human trafficking happen in the Fox Valley?  Sadly, it has become an epidemic happening not just in in developing countries, but in Wisconsin and the Fox Valley, too.  Traffickers target the most vulnerable among us, frequently preying on disadvantaged young people who have suffered abuse, mental illness, and addiction.  The internet and the Highway 41 corridor has made commercial sex convenient for those seeking to pay, but has also created a devastating business where women and young girls and boys are sold for sex by others.  Mindy was a stakeholder in the Outagamie County Human Trafficking Steering Committee, which has worked to better identify trafficking that occurs in our community.  In her work with this committee, Mindy has been instrumental in developing a victim-centered, evidence-based strategies to investigate and hold offenders accountable. While drug crime is often seen as a victimless crime, human traffickers control victims by encouraging and supporting their addiction to controlled substances.  These crimes often go hand in hand.  Mindy has partnered with the Sexual Assault Crisis Center and law enforcement throughout Outagamie County to provide trainings to various community organizations, including the City of Appleton Public Works, in an effort to increase awareness of human trafficking within Outagamie County and help citizens know what to look for and when to report suspicious behavior.  

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking or you want to learn more, please contact one of the following organizations for help:

SACC Fox Cities

• (920) 733-8119 or toll free (800) 722-7797
• info@sacc-foxcities.org
• sacc-foxcities.org

Eye Heart World

• (920) 395-5825
• eyeheartworld.org

Damascus Road

• (920) 659-0050
• damascusroadproject.org

Sexual violence has a devastating psychological, emotional and physical impact on survivors.  One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault in her lifetime and one in 33 men has experienced an attempted or completed sexual assault.  Unfortunately, the perpetrator is almost always someone they know. 

Mindy is committed to helping improve the investigations and prosecutions of these terrible acts. Prosecuting those who sexually assault children and adults has been a passion of Mindy’s throughout her career.  She is recognized statewide as a trainer for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE), Wisconsin Forensic Interview Guildelines (WIFIG) Training for interviewing children who are potential victims of child maltreatment, and has also trained other prosecutors around the State on sexual assault trial advocacy skills. Mindy has been a featured speaker for community presentations at local companies and organizations, like Kimberly-Clark and Miron Construction, to discuss myths of sexual assault, how adults can help keep kids safe and available resources within our community. Mindy has also actively helped support the victim advocacy services of the Sexual Assault Crisis Center as a community dancer, judge and speaker at Shall We Dance.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, advocates at the Sexual Assault Crisis Center can help:

SACC Fox Cities

• (920) 733-8119 or toll free (800) 722-7797
• info@sacc-foxcities.org
• sacc-foxcities.org