Wausau Police Department

Wausau Police Department Integrity | Professionalism
Accountability | Respect The City of Wausau has maintained a police force in the community since the city's inception.

From constables to peace officers, preventing crime and disorder was a crucial focal element of the City. The mayors of Wausau appointed police chiefs to oversee community safety. Police chiefs falling from favor were oftentimes replaced, as local politics played a major role in how enforcing disorder and crime was administered in the nineteenth century. In the early 1900's, the Common Council of

Wausau formally created the Wausau Police Department through adoption of a city ordinance. This ordinance also created the office of the chief of police and subordinate officers. In addition, the City elected to have a citizens committee, known as a Police & Fire Commission, appoint the local police chief. Following is a chronological listing of modern day police chiefs for the City of Wausau. Thomas Malone 1900 -1936
Walter English 1936 - 1945
Everett Gleason 1945 - 1958
Norman Zietlow 1958 - 1964
Everett Gleason 1964 - 1976
Sylvester Gajewski 1976 - 1988
William Brandimore1988 - 2005
Jeffrey Hardel 2006 - 2018
Benjamin Bliven 2018 - 2023
Matthew Barnes 2023 - Present

The Wausau Police Chief is held responsible for the operations of the police department and is under the direction of the Mayor and the Common Council. The Wausau Police Department is comprised of 79 sworn officers, with fourteen of those positions assigned to command and supervisory duties. The remainder of the officers are deployed in patrol and investigations. The department also has six full time civilian members. All police services are coordinated through the police department facilities located at 515 Grand Avenue, Wausau, Wisconsin.

Today was a bittersweet day for us as we said goodbye to Wausau PD's office manager, Susan Lang. Susan retired today af...
06/01/2026

Today was a bittersweet day for us as we said goodbye to Wausau PD's office manager, Susan Lang. Susan retired today after spending over 27 years working for the City of Wausau, with the bulk of those years being at the police department.

Susan's unmatched kindness and attention to detail will be missed. She was a calm presence in our records department and always eager to take on a challenge or help someone solve a problem. She embodied our department's core values of Professionalism, Accountability, Integrity, and Respect, and made the Wausau Police Department a better place to be.

Congratulations, Susan! Enjoy your well-deserved retirement!

It’s a beautiful morning, Wausau! Hope you had a great weekend (it’s definitely garage sale & graduation party season).W...
06/01/2026

It’s a beautiful morning, Wausau! Hope you had a great weekend (it’s definitely garage sale & graduation party season).

We are here if you need anything.

** UPDATED SUMMER HOURS **June 1st through Labor Day, the Public Safety Building lobby will observe the following hours:...
05/30/2026

** UPDATED SUMMER HOURS **

June 1st through Labor Day, the Public Safety Building lobby will observe the following hours:

Monday - 7:30am-4:30pm
Tuesday - 7:30am-6:00pm
Wednesday - 7:30am-4:30pm
Thursday - 7:30am-4:30pm
Friday - 7:30am-12:30pm

As always, officers are available 24/7, even when the lobby is closed.

STAR International Police Exchange Program | Final Post #3 🇩🇪 🇺🇸We have one final post about Lt. Luis Lopes-Serrao's re...
05/29/2026

STAR International Police Exchange Program | Final Post #3 🇩🇪 🇺🇸

We have one final post about Lt. Luis Lopes-Serrao's recent experience as part of the STAR IPE program in Hesse, Germany. If this is the first post you're seeing, links to the 2 previous posts are in the comments below.

- Visited the Wasserschutzpolizei (Water Police) in Wiesbaden and learned their responsibilties in patrolling the large water highways of Germany, and then rode along with their officers during a patrol on the River Rhine.
- Had a 2nd patrol ride along, this time on day shift, with officers in Hofheim am Taunus. There he learned many of the calls they were handling were very similar to what our officers handle every day, such as death investigations and fraud. They had outstanding conversations about the differences in our laws, our technology and how their state police system differs from municipal policing here in Wisconsin.
- Traveled to Darmstadt and visited the ESA/ESOC(European Space Agency's European Space Operations Centre). There they learned how unique their property is being operated by multiple nations, visited their mission control center and learned about their daily routines.
- Visited the Polizeipräsidium Südhessen (South Hessen Police HQ) and learned how police in Germany train for Use of Force to include less-lethal weapons and fi****ms training in a high-tech indoor facility.
- Traveled to their 3rd state in Germany, Thuringia, to visit the Point Alpha Memorial. This site sits on the former East German / West German border and holds a museum showing what life was like in the region during the cold war and the role of the US Army at that location. This was their final day in Germany and signified the bond between Germany and the US.
- Lastly, over the two weeks, they had a few days off which allowed Lt. Lopes-Serrao to do some exploring. He toured the old city in Frankfurt and learn about the history of the city, participated in one of his favorite hobbies by hiking in the nearby mountains and of course, enjoy some incredible German and Turkish food.

Thank you to the STAR International Police Exchange - Wisconsin Chapter for selecting Lt. Lopes-Serrao to represent our state and giving him this opportunity and to the STAR Program in Hesse Germany for their outstanding hosting of the officers and putting together a great program during their time there.

Special Olympics athletes from across the country are heading to Minneapolis for the USA Games. Wisconsin is incredibly ...
05/29/2026

Special Olympics athletes from across the country are heading to Minneapolis for the USA Games. Wisconsin is incredibly proud to have amazing athletes, including Wausau Athlete Kallie Saal, representing our state!

The Law Enforcement Torch Run wants to give the athletes a send‑off they’ll never forget. Law enforcement agencies from across Marathon County, Lincoln County, and Shawano County will be hosting a Torch Run at Wausau West High School on June 19th at 9:45 am on the south side of the school.

Athletes from all over Wisconsin will be stopping at WWHS, and we’d love for our community to come out, cheer on the officers and athletes, and wish them the best of luck as they head to the Games! 🎉🔥

Law Enforcement Torch Run
June 19th 2026
9:45 am
Wausau West High School

https://support.specialolympicswisconsin.org/team/814982

For more information, please contact Lt. Nate Stetzer.

Today we were honored to es**rt the parade for the Patriot Avenue of Honor through the City of Wausau up to Restlawn Cem...
05/25/2026

Today we were honored to es**rt the parade for the Patriot Avenue of Honor through the City of Wausau up to Restlawn Cemetary. The parade included veterans, recipients of banners, sponsors and family members alike. We were sure to stop and pay tribute to a special member of the Wausau PD family, who is memorialized at the corner of Grand Avenue and E. Thomas Street. Wausau PD Officer Edward Baerwald may have died in the line of duty 98 years ago, but he is never forgotten by our community.

On this , we express our gratitude for those US military personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their servic...
05/25/2026

On this , we express our gratitude for those US military personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to our country. May we always remember them and ensure that their stories of courage and duty live on.

The police department has received several reports of a black bear and cub in the 700 block of Forest Street. If you are...
05/23/2026

The police department has received several reports of a black bear and cub in the 700 block of Forest Street. If you are out walking in the area, please consider using an alternative route. We want to avoid causing additional stress to the bears and help keep everyone safe.

Officers are aware of the situation and are monitoring their location. Please give the bear and cub plenty of space and do not approach them.

Thank you for your cooperation and helping us protect local wildlife.

We were proud to have members of our Honor Guard participate in leading the parade today. They were joined by represen...
05/23/2026

We were proud to have members of our Honor Guard participate in leading the parade today. They were joined by representatives of the Wausau Fire Department. It was a great opportunity to show respect and thanks to our fallen US military service members.

👏👏👏👏Congratulations to Detective Sarah Bedish who has reached her 15th year of law enforcement service here at the Wausa...
05/23/2026

👏👏👏👏

Congratulations to Detective Sarah Bedish who has reached her 15th year of law enforcement service here at the Wausau Police Department, earning 3 service stripes. Detective Bedish started her career in 2011 as a Patrol Officer. She has additionally worked in Crash Reconstruction, as a member of our Honor Guard and most recently has been working in our Victim Resource Unit. As a Detective in that unit, she works closely to help victims, especially in cases of domestic abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking.

Thank you for choosing to serve alongside us here at the Wausau Police Department. The stripes are small, but symbolize countless impacts you have made in our community over those years.

📜The Wausau Police Department issues a service stripe to officers for every 5 years they serve in law enforcement. It's a symbol of pride and longevity each officer can wear on their long-sleeve uniform shirt.

Address

515 Grand Avenue
Wausau, WI
54403

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+17152617800

Website

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