“I will be pinning in Brian Kohlmeier as the next chief of police and I will be retiring after 35 years as a police officer,” said former Two Rivers Police Chief Joe Collins who earlier today pinned the badge on Brian Kohlmeier during a ceremony at Two Rivers City Hall.
Collins began his career in 1985 as a police officer in Iron River Wisconsin, with stops along the way in Redwood Falls, Minnesota as well as Neenah and Osceola, Wisconsin where he was Police Chief for six years before coming to Two Rivers where he served as Chief of Police for 15 years before retiring Friday. “A lot of things go into play, I obviously talked with my wife and my kids. Also making sure that someone within the organization was ready to step up and to lead and I believe that that was the case. Everything at this point looked as though this was the right time.”
Kohlmeier has served in various roles in the Two Rivers Police Department, most recently as Assistant Chief of Police. He was only 19 when he became a police officer and has been with the Two Rivers Police Department for the last 29 years. “When I started my career I didn’t really have aspirations to be the Chief of Police. I was really just focusing on being the best officer that I could be and try to get involved in as many things as I could as far as training and different specialties. As time had gone on it became more of a focus and more of an aspiration.”
The TRPD Chief says it’s vital that police officers develop trust and respect in the community. “Our officers are always willing to get out of the car and talk with kids. We do a lot with regard to community interaction. It’s not just because we feel that there is some kind of obligation or anything like that, it’s because it gives us a sense of satisfaction and pleasure to actually do something that is fun and that we know helps people down the road. It helps build those relationships that you need in order to deal with things that are not really favorable, as part of our business.”
Chief Kohlmeier says Collins has had a major impact on his professional growth. “He’s allowed me to do my job and has always given me support in doing my job. More importantly, he’s given me the opportunities to try and fill his rolls when it’s appropriate. If it wasn’t for his style of managing me, I might not be where I am today.”
As for Collins, he has no regrets in taking the journey that he has, “I’ve grown so much as a person in this organization with the friends that we’ve met here. The network that I’ve been able to develop, the opportunities that I’ve been given. It’s hard to try to put it in any words. I was accepted and our family was accepted here. That’s a reward beyond explanation.”
The former TRPD Chief says that “I’m not going to be retiring from work, just retiring from law enforcement.” Collins is the Lead Trainer for the FBI’s National Safety and Wellness Program which is dedicated to working on behalf of those in the Public Safety, First Responder and Military Fields to ensure they are provided the best Medical, Mental Health Wellness and Resiliency Care possible.
