How many residents must live in a town for police services to be mandatory?

In Wisconsin, for a town to be required to provide police services, it must have a resident population of 5,000 or more. This requirement ensures that communities of sufficient size can support a dedicated law enforcement presence, which is important for maintaining public safety and responding to the needs of residents effectively. A population threshold like this acknowledges that smaller towns may have different jurisdictions or may rely on county or state law enforcement for their policing needs. Therefore, having a stipulation at the 5,000 mark establishes a clear guideline for when a community should have its own police department to adequately serve its citizens.