Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Klueckmann, Haines, Fehlman
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 2/13/2019
Klueckmann to Step Down From Neillsville Police Department
Chief to accept position at sheriff’s department
Longtime Neillsville Police chief and office Scott Klueckmann is set to move up the street to the Clark County Sheriff’s Department after accepting a position there. He will start his new job at the county in March. Ryan Spoehr/Clark County Press
By Ryan Spoehr
After 28 years with the Neillsville Police Department, Chief Scott Klueckmann announced his resignation late last week in an email to local officials.
However, he will not go far away. Klueckmann will move up the hill and become a detective for investigations at the Clark County Sheriff’s Department.
“It turned out to be the right opportunity at the right time,” Klueckmann said. “I miss investigations. So, I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring to see what would happen.”
Klueckmann found out about the opportunity a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving last year and applied shortly thereafter.
Not only has he been with the police department since the early 1990s, Klueckmann has been the police chief since 2014.
Klueckmann said he cares for the department and even though he is moving on, he still wants to see the department move forward in the right direction,
“Of course, I was worried about the department I’ve given my life to for the last 28 years,” Klueckmann said. “I’m worried about the department and the officers. Of course, I want my department taken care of.”
He said in the transition to the sheriff’s department is not without at least a little anxiety.
“I’ve invested 28 years here, so any transition after that can give you anxiety,” Klueckmann said. “But, pretty quickly those anxieties were put to rest. I’m not worried.”
“I’m very excited. There is a new sheriff [Scott Haines] with his own ideas. I know what he wants to do, and I want to be a part of that.”
Klueckmann’s last day at the police department is this Friday, Feb. 15. His resignation date is March 8, but he said in an email he will use vacation time that he has accrued.
However, he also wrote that he will remain available in that time period to assume command of the police department if an emergencies arise.
Police department investigator Patrick Fehlman, the department’s second in command, will serve an interim police chief while the city seeks a replacement.
“I want to thank the many people I have had the privilege of working with over the years while serving this city,” Klueckmann wrote in the email. “I hope that, during my tenure, I was able to do some good for this community and make it a safer place to live. I look forward to the next state of my career in serving the citizens of Clark County as an investigator.”
Klueckmann’s resignation is pending the acceptance of the common council at its Wednesday meeting.
