History

• 25 Year Club
• Historic Roster

In 1963, the Town of Muskego elected their last Constable, William E. Bohlman. Constable Bohlman would often return home in the evenings from his day job with the telephone company. After dinner, he would place his sole emergency light atop the family vehicle and head out on to patrol. He remained the Town Constable until 1967 when city officials organized what would officially become the Muskego Police Department.

On December 15th, 1967, at 12:01 AM, the City of Muskego Police Department began operations. Chief Ervin W. Kraus directed the department, which was comprised of three sergeants and seven patrolmen, while civilian employees carried out dispatch duties. During opening ceremonies, the key to the police department was thrown away, symbolizing the department’s accessibility to the public twenty-four hours a day.

The first Muskego police station was an old, two story, seven-room house near the intersection of Janesville Road and Pioneer Drive. The kitchen served as a combination roll call room, court clerk’s office, and storage area. In addition to this, the kitchen also served as an employee lunchroom and a prisoner holding area. Since there was no actual detention area in the station, prisoners were handcuffed to the "kitchen table" literally. Luckily, there were seldom more than four prisoners in custody at the same time, so the four kitchen legs were usually enough.

From day one, Chief Kraus' dream was a new state-of-the art facility. This dream came true on June 5th, 1978, when the department moved in the building located at W183S8150 Racine Avenue. Unfortunately, Chief Kraus was only able to enjoy his efforts for a mere three months as he unexpectedly passed away on August 19th, 1978. Chief Richard F. Scholz stepped in as Chief of Police and served until 1985, leaving to pursue a different career.

In May 1985, John R. Johnson became the Muskego Police Department’s third Chief of Police. Chief Johnson retired in October 2006, when he was elected mayor of the City of Muskego.

In December of 2006, Paul P. Geiszler became the department’s fourth Chief of Police. On December 31st, 2012, after thirty two years of service to the City of Muskego, Chief Geiszler retired.

On January 1st, 2013, Craig A. Moser became the Muskego Police Department’s fifth Chief of Police. Chief Moser was instrumental in the planning for the new police department that exists today. On January 6th, 2017, after thirty one years of service to the City of Muskego, Chief Moser retired.

On January 7th, 2017, Richard Rens became the Muskego Police Department’s sixth Chief of Police. From the beginning of his tenure as a supervisor, Chief Rens emphasized the importance of officer mental wellnes. He would later put thoughts into action by developing the department's first officer mental health program. On April 16th, 2021, after thirty years "and 1 day" of service to the City of Muskego, Chief Rens retired.

On April 16th, 2021, Stephen Westphal became the Muskego Police Department's seventh Chief of Police. Chief Westphal was promoted to Chief from the day shift detective position. During his time in the bureau, Chief Westphal amassed a number of awards and accolades for his diligent attention to detail and the ferocity with which he handled his investigations. Chief Westphal continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserves.