Police and Fire Commission Minutes 09.02.2026

MINUTES MEETING POLICE & FIRE COMMISSION BERLIN, WISCONSIN BERLIN CITY HALL – 2ND FLOOR COUNCIL CHAMBERS September 02, 2026 -6:30pm President Ron Ross called the meeting to order at 6:30pm. Present: Commissioners Morgan Monohan, Ron Ross, Gary Podoll, and Denise Krentz. Seated virtually: None. Absent: Keith Hess. Also present: Interim Police Chief Noah Knetzger, Fire Chief Doug Dewhurst, liaison Hill, Mayor Burgess, City Admin Jesse Balcom, BPD officers, Family and friends of Noah Knetzger, Family and friends of Owen Bending, and Berlin Journal: Paul Weigel. Public appearance: None. Under general public comments, none. Under appointment of new Police Chief, Ross motioned to appoint Interim Police Chief Noah Knetzger to position of Police Chief. Podoll seconded the motion. A roll call vote resulted in four (4) ayes, zero (0) nays, and one (1) absent. Motion carried. Under swearing in of Police Chief, City Admin Balcom swore in new Police Chief Noah Knetzger. Under Fire Department new member Owen Bending, Podoll motioned to approve Owen to join the Fire Department. Krentz seconded the motion which carried by voice vote. Under approval of minutes, Podoll moved to approve the open and closed August 05 and closed August 19, 2026 P&F Commission minutes. Krentz seconded the motion which carried by voice vote. Podoll moved to approve the fire department expenses as presented. Monohan seconded the motion which carried by voice vote. Under Fire Department reporting and updates Fire Chief Dewhurst explained there were 14 calls for last month, and 115 calls for the year. Maintenance issues, a valve was replaced by Red Power on engine 66. Ladder testing was also completed on all drums. Upcoming events, August was very busy. The department attended truck pulls, the car show to sell food/beverages. This upcoming month we will be attending the farmers market to sell off the remaining food/beverages from the car show that got rained on. We will also be hosting a candle vigil for 9/11. Training, conducted basement fire training. This next month we will be doing a search and rescue training of a home. Ross moved to approve the Police Department expenses as presented. Podoll seconded the motion which carried by voice vote. Police Chief Knetzger stated that the chart provided to the commission shows last month’s calls. The chart shows that there were 136 traffic stops, 11 drug investigations, 4 welfare checks, 1 theft investigations, and 4 domestic abuse investigations. The chart indicates, traffic contacts have a slight decrease. This is due to staff taking benefit time as well as trainings. Drug investigations have risen, while check welfares have decreased. Under Police reporting and updates, Police Chief Knetzger explained that we have not heard yet from the small rural tribal body worn camera grant, but we should know by next meeting as that is when they make their announcement. One staff member attended WNOA conference. Two staff members completed first line supervisor training. One staff member completed AR armorer course. The department attended the county wide firearms training. Staff also participated in the county wide disaster exercise and a re-unification drill at All Saints School. Staff also attended the Green Lake County First Responders Community Festival in Princeton. Although it rained for the festival there was still a good turnout. Later this month staff will be participating in a county wide night shoot. We were also contacted to participate in the touch a truck event this Friday at the High school. The Berlin PD Union and GLSO Union collaborated to provide donations to the Menasha PD due to the tornado disaster. They provided them with Gatorade and snacks to give to the officers. Under old business: None. Under new business: None. At 6:58pm Ross motioned to adjourn. Krentz seconded to motion which carried by voice vote. Submitted by Stephanie Skivers Administrative Assistant Next scheduled meeting will be Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 6:30pm at the Berlin City Hall