WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Police Department held a retirement reception for Chief Jeff Hardel, honoring his 38 years of service to the force, 13 of those as the city’s top cop.
“I’m very proud that I was able to serve as the Chief of Police for this wonderful community. I’m very satisfied with where I’m at, and I’m excited about the future. I’m looking forward to not having such a tight schedule and not being guided by my calendar.” Hardel was first hired into the department in 1980 and according to his successor, Deputy Chief Ben Bliven, his career has lasted longer than most, “he’s been here for a long, long time. He’s experienced a lot of things. Most police officers retire a little earlier but we’ve been graced with Jeff’s presence for a little extra time.”
Hardel says he will miss the daily interactions with his team the most. “We work as a team, we decide as a team, we meet daily to discuss all of the issues that we need to discuss and come up with problem solving for all the community concerns. That’s the part that I love.”
He says several cases stick out the most to him, including one summer where the city saw a string of more than 40 arsons and the 2017 shooting rampage that took the life of four people including family attorney Sara Quirt Sann. Hardel credits his staff and family for supporting him and his team in solving those difficult cases. “The families and the spouses were so incredibly concerned with the officers because they were significantly impacted and they were working a ton of hours. It was really important for the families to make sure the officers a psychologically good, that they can conduct themselves in the way that they need to when they are thrust into all these dynamic situations.”
As for Bliven, he knows the bar has been set high by Hardel. “He’s really made a tremendous impact on our community. [From his time] as a police officer, a Sargent, Lieutenant, Captain, all the way up the ranks to Chief he’s implemented programs, been involved in special Olympics, started our D.A.R.E. program early on in his career, and he’s been a school resource officer.”
Those closest to him say they will miss what they called the “Hardel Rolodex” as well. “I don’t remember a time where I’d say ‘hey do you know this person?’ and he hasn’t said ‘yeah! I know that person very well.’ He has those connections and when problems exist he knows people he can call to help us solve them.” And in Bliven’s view, those relationships mean everything. “We can’t solve problems by ourselves. We’ve tried to arrest our way out of problems and we know that isn’t going to work. So we need to build partnerships and build relationships in our community so we can have a multi-faceted approach to problem solving.”
Bliven also praised Hardel’s hiring policy, which he says puts an emphasis on finding people with the right character to be an officer and then teaching them the skills to do the job. He also noted that every person currently serving in a position of supervision or leadership has been promoted from within. “His fingerprints are all over this department. His legacy will live on for years and decades to come.”
Hardel will soon begin a new career as a leadership consultant. Bliven officially takes over as Chief on Monday morning.
