Local officer to take chief job in Minocqua
Monday, June 11, 2007 12:53 PM CDT
Sgt. Andrew Gee of the Watertown Police Department has been chosen as the next police chief of Minocqua.
The Minocqua Town Board selected Gee to fill the position last week after conducting interviews with five candidates from four states.
Gee, a native of the Minocqua area, must first pass a battery of psychological tests and a thorough background check before being appointed the new chief. Gee and the town board must also come to terms on a contract.
The board is offering an annual salary of $60,000 with the same health insurance and retirement benefits offered to other town employees. In addition, he would be supplied with a take-home squad car and a start-up uniform allowance of $1,000.
Because board members are requiring the new chief to live within a 10-minute response time of downtown Minocqua, Gee will have to move to the area if he receives the job.
Although Gee said Watertown means a lot to him, he decided to accept the conditional offer in Minocqua so he could be closer to his family, including his mother, stepfather, brother and sister-in-law.
“If it hadn't been the Minocqua job I probably would not have put in for another chief's job at this point,” Gee said. “It's home and the opportunity was there and the time is right.”
The starting date for Gee has not been determined, but it would likely be in August after Minocqua's current chief, Norbert “Mac” McMahon, retires.
“Although the choice was unanimous, we want to make sure people know that it was not easy,” a statement issued by the Minocqua Town Board reads. “We interviewed five candidates ... and nearly all fill our vision of what we would like to see in our next chief.
“We are seeking a chief who will be out in the public, working the street, establishing rapport with our citizens and making visitors feel welcome here.
“At the same time, we want a chief who will immediately command respect, instill discipline and foster a culture of professionalism within the department.
“In our opinion, Mr. Gee is the person who can best achieve both of these goals simultaneously.”
After graduating from Lakeland Union High School in 1983, Gee studied wildlife management at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for one year before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he graduated in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
While still in college, he was hired by the Platteville Police Department in 1988 as a patrol officer, a position he held for two years.
Gee became a patrol officer for the Watertown Police Department in 1990 and was promoted to detective in 1991. He received special training in gang crimes, interview and interrogation and became certified by the state Division of Criminal Investigation as a death investigator.
He was promoted to patrol sergeant in 2001 and to support services sergeant in 2005. Gee took part in hiring, evaluating and disciplining police officers and was active in developing department policies.
Gee was elected to the board of the Watertown Unified School District in 2001 and is currently serving his second term on the school board, which expires in 2008.
Gee's wife, Linda, is a registered nurse at the University of Wisconsin Cancer Clinic at Johnson Creek. They have an 8-year-old son, Travis. Gee has two children from a previous marriage, Alex, 19, and Ashley, 17.
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