The next leader of the Manitowoc Police Department is also a product of Manitowoc.
Assistant Police Chief John Musial will take over for Nick Reimer on Friday afternoon (March 20th) when he will be sworn in at City Hall.
Musial tells SeehaferNews.com that he wanted to get into public safety after 9/11, either as a firefighter or in law enforcement.
After going on a couple of police ride-alongs, he decided to go to school.
“I got an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Lakeshore College,” he explained. “Initially, out of college, I was hired at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office. I worked there for about three years, in corrections. In 2009, I was hired by the Manitowoc Police Department, and I couldn’t have been happier being hired in my hometown with such a great agency.”
He served as a patrol officer for about 10 years before becoming a lieutenant and captain, and was promoted to his current role as Assistant Chief of Police in 2025.
Musial understands that it will be a quick transition from assistant chief to Manitowoc’s Chief of Police, but it’s been good working with Chief Reimer.
“We’ve been working closely,” he noted. “He’s been showing me a lot. He’s great to learn from. Yeah, it’s been a great transition.”
Musial says that as he starts, he doesn’t want to make any major changes in the department and wants to keep it on the same course Reimer has been leading with.
The soon-to-be police chief also said he’s excited to work with Captain Craig Jansen, who will take over in his role.
When asked whether he feels ready, Musial said, “Absolutely.”
He went on to say, “I’m really, really excited for the opportunity to be leading this agency going forward. Really big shoes to fill because Chief Reimer did such a phenomenal job throughout the years.”
Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels explains that the city is very lucky to have Musial taking over the role.
The afternoon swearing-in ceremony takes place at 2:00 p.m.
