The Appleton Police Department has a new person in charge.
The current Assistant Police Chief, Polly Olson has been announced to be the next Chief following the retirement of Chief Todd Thomas, which will be effective January 4th.
Olson will be the first female Chief of Police in the 165-year history of the city.
Olson has been with the Department since 2001, first serving as a Patrol Officer.
She has also held the positions of School Resource Officer, Patrol Captain, Captain of Investigations and Support Services, and was named Assistant Chief in May of last year.
Olson has also received numerous awards throughout the years, including Officer of the Year in 2012, and Wisconsin Association of Women Police’s Woman Officer of the Year in 2008.
Chief Thomas said he’s working with Olson on the transition, which will be much easier since she’s already very familiar with the workings of the department.
