Elk Mound’s Police Chief resigns, two part-time officers follow suit

By Cara L. Dempski

ELK MOUND — If the Elk Mound Village Board was balking at offering its part-time police chief the full-time position created in December 2016, it no longer needs to worry.

Police Chief Travis Hakes and part-time patrol officers Cory Dechow and Kory Evans resigned ahead of the April 19 regular board meeting. Newly-minted village president Steven Abraham’s only acknowledgment of Hakes’ and the officers’ resignations was to inform the board he had sought advice from the village’s municipal attorney at Bakke Norman.

“The advice we’ve been given, since this is an ongoing issue for the time being involving personnel, is that we not comment or really speak to media until such time as things are decided and we can go forward with that.”

And that, apparently, was that.

The new president also noted former president Tom Gilbert had spoken with local press, but said that since Gilbert is no longer a board member, he does not represent the views of the village.

Abraham indicated Dechow worked only 32 hours for Elk Mound in 2016, though most of his part-time work for Elk Mound had to fit in between his full-time shifts for the Village of Lake Hallie. His resignation letter, sent to Hakes April 19, indicated his resignation would be effective immediately.

Evans’ verbally resigned his position later that afternoon in favor of his full-time position with the Village of Roberts in St. Croix County.

Hakes’ resignation letter indicated he had achieved one of his main goals, that of creating a full-time police position for Elk Mound, but felt the personal feelings of some of the board members were hindering the police department’s growth.

The police chief recently left his full-time position with Lake Hallie for one in Chetek, and he said the time is right for him to move on. Still, Hakes said he does not want to leave the village entirely unprotected; while his last day completing his regular 20-hours per week duties will be May 3, he said he does not intend to leave Elk Mound wholly unprotected and will be available to respond to any situations posing a  severe threat to the village.

“The Village needs full-time police coverage. Our residents deserve better coverage, and our schools deserve better coverage than what they have currently been offered,” Hakes’ letter stated. “I have no intention on continuing to support a part-time agency, as the lack of staffing allowed thus far has been detrimental to my agency’s reputation with not only our citizens, but with other agencies as well.”

Hakes, who was hired for the part-time position in early 2013, was originally told his 20 hours per week would include eight hours of patrol work, and 12 hours of administrative work. If broken down into a five-day work week, that comes out to roughly 90 minutes per day patrolling and 140 minutes per day completing paperwork or doing investigation and research.

Former president Tom Gilbert stated after his final meeting that he was aware Hakes would likely resign, and indicated the current chief’s two predecessors, Randy Bartelt and Doug Bauman, experienced many of the same setbacks Hakes has suffered.

Gilbert also said Bartelt, Bauman and Hakes have made clear statements in the past that their jobs and lives were made more difficult by staff at the Village Hall and the village board.

In past meetings, several board members have voiced concern about how little time Hakes has spent working for the department, but have not registered any other complaints. The majority of complaints brought to the board by village residents focused on people driving too fast near a bus stop where South Holly Avenue goes over Interstate 94.

The resignation of the police chief and two part-time officers leaves the future of Elk Mound’s Police Department in the balance just months after the board approved a tax levy allowing creation of a full-time police chief position.

The board was in a similar position after Bartelt retired, and sought a variety of options for providing police coverage. It was not until the options identified were deemed too expensive that board members hit on hiring a part-time police chief.

Hakes’ letter said he and his family are planning a move back to Tilden, where they are building a home. He expressed gratitude to the Village of Elk Mound for allowing him to serve the community and start a family there, but said it is time to move on.

In an April 24 letter sent to several village board members, Hakes stated no one has informed him of the future plans for the department, and expressed concern as both the head of the police department and a village resident.

“My resignation was intended to move forward with the police department,” Hakes’ letter read. “I understood personal feelings hindered that. The village needs continued police services, and one would like to think that your plans would be shared with the public.”

Hakes’ letter requested the village’s attorney at Bakke Norman contact him in writing to make him aware of what the future holds for Elk Mound. He asked that if the board is not comfortable sharing its plans with him, then the public needs to be aware of what will be done. The letter concluded with a simple statement from Hakes.

“It’s time we finally put aside personal feelings and division on the board so the best interests of the village residents can be addressed, not personal ones.”

Other business

In other business, the board welcomed developer Gene Caron, who presented his plan for future rental properties south of Independence Drive. After Caron’s presentation, the board moved on to department and committee reports, and learned all things were going well with no issues in the offing.

The board settled the matter of Abraham’s open trustee seat by unanimously appointing Debra Creaser-Kipp to the position to fulfill his term.

Abraham then set to organizing the board into committees and representatives, which can be found posted on the village website. A member was approved to serve on the Board of Review, and several village residents were suggested as possible members to serve on the TID Joint Review Board and Plan Commission.

During the meeting, the board also:

• Approved an Extraterritorial CSM from Alex DeCook for property owned by David Gilbertson.

• Approved altering the Public Works’ Departments’ work week schedule to 10 hours Monday through Thursday from April to October.

• Approved building permits for Vong Xiong (201 Mound Park Drive, reroof residence) and Tom Spagnoletti (213 University Street, reroof small garage).

• Approved changing two meeting dates. The board will meet May 10 (instead of May 3) and June 28 (instead of June 21).

• Determined several board members would like to attend the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Government 101 Training in Eau Claire May 19.