Plautz is new Edgar police chief

After receiving applications from six individuals and conducting interviews, the Edgar Village Board opted to promote one of its own instead of hiring a new police chief.

Ramsay Plautz, who has been working for the Edgar Police Department as a part-time officer since July of 2020, was named officer in charge last week. The village board voted to offer him the position during a special meeting on August 28 and he accepted the contract later in the week.

The intention is for Plautz to have the opportunity to eventually become the chief of police after gaining necessary leadership experience and mentorship. Plautz will be supervised by officer Matthew Krembs, who has worked for the village in a part-time role since 2018. According to Village Administrator Jennifer Lopez, Krembs was chosen to mentor Plautz due to his background as a law enforcement instructor and 27 years of public safety experience.

“Officer Krembs will be reporting back to the board, assisting them to determine when the village will be in the position to hire the next police chief,” Lopez wrote in an email.

In addition to supervising Plautz, Krembs is also working to update equipment and monitoring the department’s state requirements for training. He will also be recruiting part-time officers of varying experience levels “to help provide Officer Plautz experience supervising officers of all different types of backgrounds,” according to Lopez.

One of the main factors for promoting Plautz to the role of officer in charge was to allow continuity and stability within the police department, according to Lopez. After receiving input from staff and the village’s attorney, officials felt it was the best choice.

“Aninternalpromotionwillhelpmaintain the existing relationships between the police department and community, as Officer Plautz is already known and trusted by community members,” Lopez wrote.

The village will evaluate Plautz’s progress every three months for the next one to two years before he is eligible to become the police chief. His starting wage in this new full-time role has been set at $22 per hour, according to the employment offer letter.

According to the officer in charge job description, Plautz will be responsible for various tasks, including supervising other employees, operational oversight, resource management, community engagement, filing reports and training development.

Edgar had been searching for new leadership for its police department after former police chief Tyler Geske resigned earlier this year. In the interim, the village had been receiving extra support from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Offi ce. According to Lopez, the sheriff’s department will continue to support the Edgar Police Department as it did in the past, responding with assistance as needed or when an officer is not on duty in Edgar.