THE WAUWATOSA POLICE DEPARTMENT
A PROUD HISTORY OF SERVICE, COMMITMENT AND PROGRESS

Department created by ordinance in 1916.

       On April 18, 1916 the Wauwatosa Police Department was created by an ordinance passed by the city's Common Council.  The ordinance called for the appointment of a Police Chief to be paid $1020.00 per year and two Police Officers earning $720.00 each per year.
     By mayoral appointment George Baltes became Wauwatosa's first Chief of Police.  Baltes had previously been the city's Marshal, serving in that capacity since 1909.  Mayor Koenig also appointed Fred Sporleder and Albert Priebe to the two Police Officer positions.  Although the Common Council approved both appointments, Albert Priebe declined his appointment and was replaced by Charles Stamm.  The original Wauwatosa Police Department was at what is now 1430 Underwood Avenue.  Chief Baltes and his Officers shared the building's second floor with City Hall and the building's first floor housed the city's Fire Department.  At the Department's inception, Wauwatosa was a fourth class city with a population of 4000.  In 1916, the Department also purchased their first vehicle, a Harley Davidson motorcycle with a sidecar.
     A city ordinance required that the Police Chief and both Officers be reappointed biannually.  In 1918, Officer Sporleder chose to return to his original occupation of carpenter and declined his reappointment.  He was replaced by Adolph Hedtke on May 16, 1918.  Adolph Hedtke was to have a long and successful career in the Department, serving more than 20 years and rising to the rank of Captain.  In 1920, Police Department positions became Civil Service positions with lifetime appointments.  During this period, officers did not have regular work hours.  Their home phone numbers were publicly known, in the event that their services were required when they were not at the station.  In effect, they were on constant 24-hour call.

1920's and a growing Department.

    On February 11, 1923, Officer Charles Stamm died at the age of 35.  He was replaced by Daniel Staatz.  On April 24, 1924, Department size was increased to three officers with the appointment of Ernst Hammerschmidt.  On May 1, 1924 the Department grew again when Louis Wrasse was appointed to a Police Officer position.  Wrasse would have a long and distinguished career with the Department, becoming Chief in 1938 and serving in that position until his retirement in 1962.
     The Department's first promotions took place on February 16, 1925, when Officers Hedtke and Staatz were promoted to Sergeant's positions.  The Department also increased in size that year when LeRoy Brant, Harold Erickson and Victor Grunewald were hired as Police Officers.
     In 1926 Officer Louis Wrasse was promoted to Sergeant and two more officers joined the Department.  They were Louis Johnson and Albert Priebe.  Priebe, who was to have been one of Wauwatosa's original officers ten years earlier, was now on the Department.
     By 1929, the Department had grown to 14 members and a new facility was needed to house it. On January 30, 1930, the Department moved into a new $22000.00 station located at 1501 Underwood Avenue.  As the Police Department was growing, so was the city. 

1930's and Communication advances.  

   By  1930, Wauwatosa had become a third class city with a population of 21,000.    In 1931, police call boxes were installed in the city, increasing communication between the Department and officers on the street.  Also that year, the Department purchased its first squad car, a 1931 Nash.
     The year 1932 brought the Department bad publicity.  At 2:30 a.m. on September 24, an off duty officer, LeRoy  Brant, was shot and wounded by a store owner as Brant was attempting to enter a closed grocery store at 1187 N. 68 St.  Responding officers found Brant a block away from the store wounded and intoxicated.  The officers took Brant home.  In the aftermath of the shooting, there was an attempt to hush the incident involving the two officers, a Sergeant and Chief Baltes.  The cover up became headline news and Officer Brant resigned on September 27,1932.  Under pressure, Chief Baltes resigned on October 1,1932.  The two officers were suspended and eventually returned to work.  The Sergeant involved was given a reprimand.
     LeRoy Brant was charged with burglary, tried and found not guilty because he was too intoxicated to have had intent to commit a felony.  On May 8, 1933, Brant was killed in Iowa when he fell under a moving train.  He had been on his was to California for employment.
     With its reputation in need of rebuilding, the Department turned to an experienced veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department for leadership.  On November 30, 1932, Harry C. Ridenour was appointed Chief of Police, replacing George Baltes.  At age 56, Chief Ridenour was a retired Detective Captain from the Milwaukee Police Department, where he had served for 34 years.  Chief Ridenour immediately create a Captain's position in the Department and promoted Sergeant Louis Wrasse to fill it.  The new Chief also implemented a Report and Record system, which was the forerunner of the Permanent Records system.  By 1933, the Department consisted of 23 men, three squad cars and three motorcycles.  The motorcycles were used by the patrol Sergeants while supervising officers on the street.  At that time police officers were paid between 66 2/3 cents per hour and 78 cents.  Officers were required to work up to 70 hours per week.
     In 1934 the Department took another step toward improving their communications capabilities.  An agreement was made with the Milwaukee Police Department to allow Wauwatosa to install radio receivers on the Milwaukee frequency, in Wauwatosa squad cars.  Local squads received calls when the Wauwatosa Police called Milwaukee by phone and had Milwaukee's dispatchers give out the call.  The Wauwatosa squad could acknowledge receiving the call by phoning the station or using a police call box on the street.  Also in 1934, the Department's first promotional examination was held, a test for promotion to Sergeant given on April 13.
     Chief Harry Ridenour, the Department's second Chief, served for six years, until October 31, 1938, when he retired at age 62.  On November 1, 1938, Captain Louis Wrasse was appointed Chief of Police.  He promoted Sergeant Adolph Hedtke to fill the vacant Captain's position.  At the time that Chief Wrasse took over the Department it consisted of 32 full-time officer and seven part-time officers.

1940's, Technology advances and World War II.

    Further advancements were made in police technology when in 1940 the Department implemented their own fingerprint taking and filing system as well as a system for taking and filing photographs.  Also in the early 1940's the Department began a formal training program for officers.
     First aid, investigative procedures and other police related subjects were taught in classes held after the officers' regular shifts.  Another step forward for the Department in the 1940's was the introduction of two-way radios in police vehicles.  Although calls still had to go through the Milwaukee Police dispatchers, officers were now able to communicate directly with them, improving response time to calls for service.
     When the United States entered World War II in December of 1941, the Wauwatosa Police Department consisted of a Chief, a Captain, a police secretary, five Sergeants and 26 officers.  In 1942, with the shortage of available manpower, the Department created the first volunteer Police Reserve unit in the United States. After 60 years the Wauwatosa Police Reserve unit is still in existence as the oldest active such organization in the country.  During the war years Air Raid Warden units were formed across the country and were the responsibility of local police departments.  The Wauwatosa Police Department was responsible for the training and coordination of 1077 Air Raid Wardens from 1942 until 1945.
     After World War II, as motor vehicle use increased and populations grew, police duties and responsibilities also expanded.  The Wauwatosa Police Department recognized this and sought to meet the city's needs by forming specialized units within the Department.  On February 16, 1947, the Detective Bureau was created with the appointments of Officers Louis Johnson and John Jordan as Detectives.

 1950's and the Department's first tragedy.

    In 1954, the city's Common Council approved the addition of ten police officer positions as the city doubled in territorial size through annexation.  At this time the city also installed a citywide two-way radio system of their own, shared by the Police Department with the city's Fire, Street, Forestry and Water Departments.
     The year 1954 also brought a tragic first to the Department.  For the first time in the Department's history, a Wauwatosa Police Officer was shot while on duty.  On September 9, 1954, while responding to a complaint, Detective Clarence Elias was shot by William C. Hake in front of 604 Elm Spring Avenue.  Hake, 22, was shooting from a second floor bedroom and also wounded two Wauwatosa firefighters during the incident.  Hake was apprehended and convicted of attempted murder charges.  Detective Elias recovered and returned to duty, however he retired on disability in 1969 as a result of his injuries.
     In 1958 the Department hired their first paid female employees when Carol Kane and Anita Janacek were hired as secretaries.  In addition to her secretarial duties, Ms. Kane also became the Department's first female police officer.  The Department created a Juvenile Bureau in 1958 as well.  Officer Robert Douglas became the first Juvenile Officer in the Department.

1960's, Age of Turbulence.

     On April 15, 1962, Chief Louis Wrasse retired from the Wauwatosa Police Department.  This brought to a close his career of nearly 38 years with the Department, including 23 years as Chief.  During the period in which Chief Wrasse led the Department it had expanded to the first and second floors at 1501 Underwood Avenue.  The building housed the Patrol Division, Detective Bureau and the Juvenile Division.  The Department now consisted of a Chief, a Captain, two Lieutenants, two Detective Sergeants, three Patrol Sergeants, four Desk Sergeants, five Detectives, a Radio Technician, 55 patrolmen and two secretaries.
     From April 15, until September 25 of 1962 Captain Alvin Basting served as Acting Chief of Police while the city held a nationwide search for a new Police Chief.  Their choice of a new Chief was John P.Howard of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.  Chief Howard continued the efforts to modernize the Department, putting a strong emphasis on continued education for officers and supervisors.  Department members attended the FBI Academy; Northwestern University as well as various colleges throughout the country in an effort to continue to advance their knowledge of police related topics and issues.  Regular police inservice training was conducted at the Milwaukee Area Technical College.
     The year 1963 was another eventful one for the Department.  For the first time, non-sworn employees were hired to work as dispatchers.  One of them, Betty Digman, later became the first female member of the Department's Juvenile Bureau.
     1963 also marked the second time a Wauwatosa Police Officer was shot while on duty.  On October 11, 1963, Officer Ronald Harrison was shot in the leg by one of several armed robbers on the parking lot of Mayfair Shopping Center.  Officer Harrison was responding to a call of an armed robbery at the Lebolt Jewelry Store.  The incident involved the robbery, shooting, a high-speed chase and the apprehension of the robbers.  Officer Harrison successfully recovered from his wound and returned to duty.
     In 1964 the Department instituted the Police Aide Program.  Police Aides, essentially officers in training, assisted with police administrative and dispatch duties.  A number of Wauwatosa's Police Aides took police officer positions throughout the state.  Ten Police Aides eventually became Wauwatosa Police Officers.  Some of them are still serving.  The Police Aide Program was discontinued in 1977.
     The social turbulence of the 1960's touched the Wauwatosa Police Department in a big way when in 1966 the Department faced large-scale demonstrations.  The Milwaukee Chapter of the NAACP, led by controversial community activist Father James Groppi, picketed the home of Judge Robert C. Cannon at 7805 W. Wisconsin Avenue.  At issue was Judge Cannon's membership in the all-white Milwaukee Eagles Club.
     On the first night a dozen pickets marched in front of the Judge's home.  The next day, counter pickets appeared and the combined group numbered 25 people.  By the third day, members of the Ku Klux Klan appeared in full Klan dress, including hoods and robes.
     The news media were quick to focus on the escalating situation, which continued to develop for another month.  Eventually the combined number of pickets, counter pickets and observers reached 25,000 people.  This resulted in the Department requesting assistance from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department's Riot Control Unit, the Wauwatosa Police Reserves and the Wisconsin National Guard.  Wauwatosa officers were required to work many hours of overtime.  Officers slept at the police station and did not return to their homes for many days.
     By 1969 the Department had outgrown the facility at 1501 Underwood Avenue.  A completely new station was built at 1700 N. 116 St., the current location of the city's Police Department.  This was the first structure in the city's history to be constructed specifically as a police station.

1970's, Community Support Division established.

     At the dawn of the 1970's the Department numbered 96 sworn officers, 12 special officers, 18 non-sworn employees, 40 crossing guards, 175 police reserves, 20 squad cars and four motorcycles.  The operating cost of the Department at that time was $1,536,297.00 annually.
     In 1971 the Department did away with motorcycle patrol and hired non-sworn employees to enforce parking restrictions.  Jeeps replaced the motorcycle, the Department's first means of vehicle patrol.
     The late 1960's and early 1970's saw society changing, expressing doubt and discontentment with the establishment.  The entire Milwaukee area experienced racial demonstrations and campus unrest.  This called for training that included riot and crowd control and baton training.  As the drug culture established itself, the Department increased officer training in this area.  Another specialized area within the Department was created with the introduction of the Community Support Division at this time.
     Chief John Howard retired at the age of 55 on October 1, 1974 after serving 12 years as Chief.  During the years in which he led the Department, it increased in size to 90 sworn officers and experienced a reorganization to include an Administrative Bureau, Records Bureau, Traffic Accident Investigation Bureau, Intelligence Officer, and Community Support Office.  Chief Howard's tenure also saw advancements in the Department's Patrol Division, Detective Bureau and Juvenile Bureau.
     Upon Chief Howard's retirement, Captain Roy E. Wellnitz was assigned as Acting Chief of Police, and the city again undertook a nationwide search for a new Chief.  On January 6, 1975, Douglas W. Stinson of Baldwinsville, Suffolk County, New York, was appointed as Wauwatosa's fifth Police Chief.  His stay was short, lasting only five months, as he resigned on May 31, 1975.  On October 15, 1975, Captain Wellnitz was appointed as Wauwatosa's sixth Police Chief.
     When the Police Aide Program was discontinued in 1977, the Department began hiring non-sworn Radio Switchboard Operators, known as RSO's, to perform dispatching duties.  In 1982, the Police and Fire Departments installed a new joint communications system. It combined their operations into a single system with ten radio frequencies connecting into local police departments.

1980's and 1990's,  A shift in Leadership, a Working Partnership between Department and Citizens.

     After 70 years of operation, by 1986 the Department consisted of 89 sworn officers, 29 non-sworn employees and 30 police vehicles.
     The late 1980's brought some shifts in leadership to the Department.  In 1987 Chief Wellnitz moved from Wauwatosa to a new home in Elm Grove.  This was a violation of a city ordinance, which required city Department heads to live in Wauwatosa.  It resulted in a legal controversy and Chief Wellnitz left office on August 17, 1989.
     Administrative Bureau Captain Frederic J. Basting served as Acting Chief following Wellnitz's departure until May of 1990, while the city held a nationwide search for Chief Wellnitz's replacement.  On May 29, 1990, Barry Weber, Chief of Police in Fort Dodge, Iowa, was appointed as Wauwatosa's seventh Police Chief.  On July 15, 1990 former Chief Roy E. Wellnitz was killed in an automobile accident in northern Wisconsin.  His wife, who was a passenger in their auto, was severely injured, but recovered.
     Under Chief Weber the Department made numerous technological advances and embraced community policing, in an effort to bring the Department and Wauwatosa's citizens into a closer working partnership.
     In late 1990, the Wauwatosa Police Department adopted the Incident Based Reporting System (IBRS), for collecting and maintaining public safety information.  IBRS is a collection vehicle for crime data, providing statistical information available to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The Wauwatosa Police Department was the first in the state to go on line with IBRS.
     On April 18, 1991, the Department celebrated its 75th anniversary with an Open House, held at the Department and including station tours and historical displays.
     In 1991, The Department began another measure to increase police patrol visibility and to continue the increase in community policing.  Officers in a bicycle patrol unit began patrolling the streets during warm weather months.  Also in 1991 the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program expanded into Wauwatosa's fifth grade classrooms.  The year 1991 also saw the Department abandon the traditional police service revolver in favor of Glock Model 22 .40 caliber semi-automatic pistols as the standard issue sidearm for Wauwatosa officers.
     Further steps were taken in 1992 to update the Department's appearance and protective capabilities.  The Department switched from the old two-tone blue uniform to an all-dark blue police uniform.  Dark blue squads with improved high visibility markings also became standard.  A newly designed uniform shoulder patch and a new style badge were also  adopted.
     The Department's Special Response Team was formed in 1992.  The SRT is trained and equipped to respond to out of the ordinary calls, such as hostage incidents and negotiations, barricaded suspects, room clearing and other high risk special situation calls.
     Beginning in April of 1994, the Wauwatosa Police Department began a major renovation of their station facilities.  Even though the Department had been expanding into new areas of community service and in other directions as well, the police station building had remained virtually unchanged since it was constructed 25 years earlier, in 1969.  The building renovation project began on April 5, 1994 and was completed with a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 28, 1996.  The project effectively doubled the station's size.  To complete the new look, a sculpture created by local artist Jeune Nowak Wussow was unveiled in front of the station on June 17, 1998.  Titled Rueful Issues-Resolved, the sculpture depicts the uniformed officer interacting with a troubled youth.
     A new and progressive program was launched by the Department in spring of 1998 to help educate citizens in the operations of their police department and to give them an ideas of the training officers undergo and the experiences they face.  On March 26, 1998 the first Wauwatosa Citizen Police Academy class began.  This is a comprehensive 10-week class, which meets once per week.  It is open to those who live or work in Wauwatosa.  Requirements include a minimum age of 21, no felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions that question the moral character of the applicant, successful completion of a general background check and a commitment to attending the weekly three-hour classes.  The class includes training in such police related areas as patrol procedures, use of force, community policing, drug interdiction, special response operations, recruitment and training, accident investigation, high and low risk traffic stops, 911 communications, witness identification, emergency vehicle operation and firearms familiarization.  The classes are taught by Department members, Police Reserves, and members of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department in conjunction with the Milwaukee Area Technical College.  Spring and fall classes are offered.
     In order to stay abreast of 21st century technology, the Department's computer and communications systems both were completely upgraded in 1999. A new public safety computer system by DM Data of Marlton, New Jersey was delivered and installed at the Department in April 1999.  At midnight on Monday, October 4, the Department successfully made the transition to the new information system.
     The Department's Dispatch Center underwent two major advancements in 1999.  A new 800 MHz radio system was installed as well as a state of the art CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system.  Both new systems have significantly enhanced the operating efficiency of the Department and the Dispatch Center.
     Such technological advancements are a far cry from the long ago days of police call boxes and squad cars without radio communication.  As the history and continual advancement of the Wauwatosa Police Department demonstrates, the Department, from its beginning, has continually sought to provide the best available service and protection for the citizens of Wauwatosa.

    
This history was compiled by retired Police Officer Dale Habermann and written and edited by Steven J. Legge, Municipal Clerk I, Wauwatosa Police Department, April, 2002.