WAUPUN — The Waupun City Council unanimously voted to approve Deputy Chief Jeremy Rasch as Interim Chief of the Waupun Police Department at the Common Council meeting Tuesday evening.
The Police and Fire Commission recommended Deputy Rasch for the position at Monday’s special meeting, following a discussion on how to proceed after former Chief Scott Louden resigned from the Department.
“I’m honored that the city has put this responsibility on me to become the Interim Chief for the Police Department here in Waupun,” Rasch said in a statement following the meeting. “I envision a lot of work ahead, I know there’s going to be bumpy roads, but I’m an optimist. I appreciate the people within this community that have supported me over the years and I think it’s going to be good for our department and moving forward in the future.”
Jeremy Rasch has served in the Waupun Police Department for nearly 22 years, and as Deputy Chief for the last six years. Prior to becoming Deputy Chief he served as Patrol Lieutenant.
“This is the only department I’ve worked for; it’s been a long career and I’ve been given a lot of opportunities throughout my time here and I want to give back to the community,” he said. “I just appreciate the support from the community and it means a lot to our department.”
Following Louden’s resignation, Deputy Rasch served as Officer in Command until being officially named as Interim Chief.
“He’s done a great job so far in the week and a half where we’ve kind of been in limbo. And I think Jeremy’s the right guy for the Interim Chief position,” said Mayor Rohn Bishop. “It’s happening really fast and it seems like things are already improving. He’s forward thinking, he’s got a lot of ideas, and I think it’s good for the Waupun Police Department and the City of Waupun as a whole. And hopefully we can continue with our great police department and stay in one of the safest cities in the state of Wisconsin.”
The City Council also approved the new Police Union Agreement, which will increase salaries and adapt shift rules to current department conditions. The new agreement will take effect in January.
