Story originally printed in the Holmen Courier or online at www.holmencourier.com
Published - Tuesday, June 03, 2008
City close to picking new chief of police
The process of choosing a new Onalaska police chief is down to four finalists out of 26 applicants.
The city’s Police and Fire Commission were to interview the four finalists Thursday evening. Depending on how well the four interviews went, the commission could make an offer contingent upon background checks and medical reviews as early as today (Friday, May 30), or there might be another round of interviews.
The candidates already have succeeded in the initial stages involving written tests and professional panel interviews, where they had to score at least a 70 at each stage. “The professional panel was very confident we would find one of the four as a finalist,” said Mary Anderson, who chairs the Police and Fire Commission.
Of the four finalists, three are currently police chiefs in other towns.
Michael D. King
Michael D. King has been the chief of police in Prairie du Chien, Wis., for the past 10 years and has been in law enforcement for 30 years. He has experience in a broad range of law enforcement that includes field training officer, evidence technician, traffic accident reconstruction, tactical team leader, firearms instructor, and training supervisor.
He also serves as adjunct faculty for Upper Iowa University teaching undergraduate courses in criminal justice and three undergraduate distance-learning classes in an emergency and disaster management program.
King received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2003 and his master’s in Criminal Justice in 2004, both at Southwest University in Texas. He is a candidate for a master’s degree in national security/terrorism from the American Military University.
Jeffrey S. Trotnic
Jeffrey S. Trotnic has been the chief of police in Duenweg, Mo., since 2005. He also is a lieutenant in the Investigations Bureau where he oversees two sergeants, eight general detectives, four narcotics officers, two career enhancement officers and the evidence facility.
Trotnic earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., and is working on his master’s degree in criminal justice administration.
Trotnic also has received training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. In 1992, Trotnic received a Meritorious Service Award for a fire rescue. He is actively involved in his church and serves as the chairperson of its finance committee.
Dennis L. Weiner
Dennis L. Weiner has been the chief of police for Centre Island-Oyster Bay, N.Y., since 1995. As chief, Weiner has reorganized his department from a traditional police management model to National Incident Management System-based model, implemented state of the art mobile records management that included cellular and wireless system integration and real-time multi-jurisdictional data sharing.
Weiner was also with the New York City Police Department from 1982 to 1995, rising through the ranks from police officer to sergeant/investigator to supervising officer.
He holds a NATO secret/pending top secret clearance and has been heavily involved with the Navy including as current training officer-in-charge for the Navy Expeditionary Training Command.
Weiner’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, N.Y.; a master’s degree in organizational management from Harvard University; a law degree from St. John’s University School of Law in New York, a tax law degree from New York University Law School in New York and the FBI National Academy in Quantico. He holds three NATO medals.
Wayne Stolpa
Wayne Stolpa is a police lieutenant in the town of Madison, Wis., where he has been since 2003. He has been serving as acting chief in the absence of the chief of police since 2003.
Stolpa founded and currently serves as commander of department tactical unit to combat illegal narcotic and violent crime activities and has written programs and ordinances to address issues of sex offender residence, landlord responsibilities with chronic nuisances, identification requirements and alcohol in parks.
Prior to his police service in the town of Madison, Stolpa was with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway police department and served as special agent for company in Washington, Colorado and Illinois.
He also was a police officer for the University of Wisconsin System and the Waukesha Police Department. Stolpa has been adjunct faculty/instructor at various colleges’ criminal justice programs from Washington, Colorado and West Virginia as well as Ladysmith, Janesville and Madison, Wis.
Stolpa received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Mount Senario College in Ladysmith and a master’s degree in management from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo.
All stories copyright 2006 Holmen Courier and other attributed sources.