Leak Probe: Public Urinators Condemned to Penning Letters to Ed

By: E&P Staff Here's one way to write a wrong: People caught urinating in public in Fond du Lac, Wisc., are now being sentenced to compose letters of apology that are published in the local newspaper with their names attached.

Under the sentencing policy implemented by Judge Jerry Jaye of Lakeside Municipal Court more than a year ago, anyone convicted of urinating in public must write letters of apology to a downtown business group and to the community. The letters to the community are published on the opinions page of The Reporter newspaper. There's also a fine for disorderly conduct.

Police Lt. Steve Klein said the policy has been effective in making people take responsibility for their actions, and it's also been a deterrent.

In case you've ever wondered what such letters might read like, here is a sample from Nov. 28, along with the opinion editor's intro.

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Men and women who have been found guilty of urinating in public are required by Judge Jerry Jaye of Lakeside Municipal Court to write two letters of apology ? one to downtown businesses through the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership and one to the citizens of Fond du Lac that will be published in The Reporter. The signed letters of apology to citizens of Fond du Lac follow:

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I am writing this letter of apology to all the citizens in Fond du Lac to explain how sorry I am for my actions on Friday, Oct. 8, 2005. A few friends and I were walking down the Main Street from the bar. I stopped at the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership and did something that I should have not done. So once again I am sorry for the inconvenience that I may have caused to anyone that may have been affected by my action that night.

Brad Genske
Fond du Lac

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I am so terribly sorry for urinating outside of a public place in your city. It was not a very intelligent thing to do. I hope that I did not do anything to slow down business in your town. I know whoever reads this loves Fond du Lac and I dishonored your town and myself in the process. What I did was intolerable and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. I'm really sorry for having to waste space in The Reporter so you can read this. Once again I am very sorry for my conduct.

Michael Huebner
Madison

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I would like to apologize for my actions on the night of Oct. 2, 2005. My behavior was both immature and disrespectful. I hope I have not offended anyone in anyway. I will make sure that, in the future, I will act in a more appropriate way. I was out of line and it will never happen again. I appreciate the Fond du Lac Police Department for being responsible and reliable when handling the situation. They did it in a very professional way. Thank you for your time and I will do my best to be a law-abiding Fond du Lac citizen.

Nick Vogt
Fond du Lac