142-year-old police department dissolved due to lack of staffing

A tiny police department in Waupaca County which has been around for 142 years has been dissolved due to staffing and financial issues.

The Fremont Police Department, which was created in 1882, was dissolved Monday when Fremont’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously at a special meeting to do away
with the department due to staffing constraints. The village will instead work exclusively with the Waupaca County Sheriff’s office, which patrols the community when the village’s one full time officer isn’t on duty, often times assisting on calls even when they are on duty.

The village is unable to offer benefits packages that many other departments do and the anticipated starting wage for their officers is lower than surrounding departments, making it difficult to compete for hires. The police department’s budget currently represents about half of the annual village levy.

Adding to the decision to dissolve the department was the fact it is now operating without a chief, as the most recent hire for the position resigned after only being there for one week.

Village Board President Bobbi Marks said, “We all know that we’ve struggled to hire and retain police department employees for many years. This didn’t happen overnight.”