Wisconsin Community Upset as Nearly Half of Police Force Quits in Single Day

Almost half of the police force in Big Bend, Wisconsin, resigned on December 28, and blame has been placed at the feet of the Village Board members.

A few months ago, the Village Board chose to disband the police agency but reversed that decision after receiving pressure from locals, WISN reported Friday.

In a social media post on December 28, Village of Big Bend Police Department announced that five officers had resigned. They were identified as “Sergeant Aide – 7 Years, Officer Schweitzer – 5 Years, Officer Hennlich- 10 Years, Officer Honzelka – 1.5 Years, Officer Soneberg – 3 years.”

During a board meeting on December 7, Soneberg told board members “You are so full of it! I am tired of the harassment of this Village Board. And all the crap I’ve been dealing with throughout the years.”

Mark Andersen, who led the Fire and Police Commission, also stepped down not long after the incident, citing the Village Board as his reason.

According to Andersen, when Big Bend Police Chief Don Gaglione died in October leaders in the community could have become more united, but that is not what happened.

He said, “There is a clear division here in the village.”

According to a WPDE article published Tuesday:

The Village of Big Bend in September reportedly voted to dissolve its police department in favor of allowing nearby Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department to take over village policing duties. The decision would lead to a savings of $250,000 annually for the village, FOX6 News Milwaukee reported.

The decision, however, was reportedly met with outrage from the community, including from officers who fought to save the department. Big Bend soon became inundated with yard signs voicing support for the police department.

The outlet also noted that Gaglione died by suicide in October, adding that “community outrage toward the board soon reached a fever pitch with some blaming Gaglione’s death on their decision to dissolve the police department.”

Now, Andersen fears there could be a lack of service in the area even though the Waukesha County Sheriff will step in to help.

The police agency reportedly now has one full-time officer and five working part-time.

“In a couple of the police officer resignation letters they mentioned a toxic work environment they say caused by the Village Board,” Fox 6 reported Friday:

In a social media post on Saturday, the police agency told residents, “The Big Bend Police Department is still here and operational. There are no plans to close down the police department”:

“We will continue to serve and protect the Village of Big Bend. We will provide all of the services that we have provided in the past,” the agency concluded.