Ok Mtndew, I went wayyyyy over the edge by implying they were "buddies". I'll let you know when I receive a court summons or a C&D letter from his atty. You better look up libel before accusing me. Better yet, skip the look up of libel because it doesn't apply to what I said. Use your time to look up freedom of speech as well as the right of the people to challenge their government to keep them in check. You'll find a handful of court cases to educate you on the responsibilities of the people. We are asking for openness and transparency. Tell me another position of this stature that is filled this fast? The Commission is charged with the task of finding a suitable candidate for this position. Mr. Roberts may be asked to assist, but it is not his choice to hand pick the candidate. Mr. Schuetz may be the best candidate, but the process has not followed the guidelines laid out by the Mayor, Commission, Council, or even Roberts. My facts are just that. My opinions are more than obvious. Read my past entries and look for how far off I am to reality. Unless you opt for the Cliff Notes of what I wrote, you will see my facts are straight. I stand behind what I say. If I am wrong, call me on it. All the people of Milton want is to have a well staffed, non-controversial police department and a open government. Instead they have paid for officers they do not yet have, lots of controversy, and a questionable process leading to the fast tracking of Schuetz.

insidetrack writes "corruption" and claims the two are "friends". beachsexton writes they are "buddies". Can you two prove this? Do you people know what LIBEL is? Have you checked your claims as being factual? Just because the two men received a paycheck from UW-P, doesn't mean anything. I know that UW-P has has online CJ classes and maybe even offsite classes. The two may not have even met or even know each other. Sound like a few scorned people on this blog. Maybe even some MPD insiders...Readers, don't believe everything you read; these claims probably can not be backed up with facts. These bloggers like to remain veiled with their anonymous screens names and play arm-chair quarterback with local politics. If you have a legitimate beef with the PD and/or Milton city gov't, go to the meetings or schedule an appointment with people you complain about. Anyone else agree with me?

corruption is corruption...it does not matter if it's a police officer taking money or if it is a friend promoting a friend....we all lose!

To Skipper- yes, I understand the uninvolvement in the process of selection. However it may be, please welcome him and his family, they will be a very nice addition to your community.

For the love of god. What's done is done. Calm down.

CALL YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS OR ATTEND THE MEETING AND QUESTION THE PROCESS...or wait until someone calls the FBI and makes an allegation or sues the City & Roberts...any attornies interested ?

Insidetrack, you have a great point. I think they should consider some of the other candidates also. In fact, it would even be beneficial to consider the application of the applicant that applied from within. They may not have the command experience that the Commission is looking for, but it may be a way to:
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-have the least disruption & smoothest transition
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-shorter learning curve as ice already broken
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-keep officer that has been committed to this dept. in our city
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-offer a trade-off of saving taxpayers money with a lower salary to start with. Officer receives promotion of a lifetime, and increase as incentives.
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-quick implementation of improvements and changes because they know what is most needed.
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No one is perfect, but given the chance to prove oneself may be just what this person needs. They already have the respect of the other officers, and have assisted in running the department for the past 8 months. This is an option that should be considered. Let the Commission and Council review more than just one person. This process has been too fast, too close, and too guided. The Council members need to stand up and speak for the citizens that elected them!

To patience, we never had the chance! He was hired before anybody knew he was the “Finalist”. Who’s talking bad about him anyways, I think people are talking bad about the process!

To all of you who wrote a negative comment about Chief Schuetz....have you even taken the time to meet him and speak with him? Try it, you will then be able to make an informed decision about the choice made.

As one of the 31 who applied for this position I find it suspicious that the only one selected was Roberts' friend from UW-Platteville. Roberts took Milton for a ride and did not even stick to his protocol. Only phone interviews were conducted with Roberts, another chief and the chief of Appleton (a town next to the new chief's town). The new chief was fron a town of 1300 people and the other applicants, some of which were more qualified, were not even interviewed by the council.......was the impropper influence? Did the new chief have access to the initial questions that were the only basis for selection? The council should look at the resumes of the others who were al least interviewed, if not all who applied to ensure that the best qualified canidate was selected. Call your council member and let them know..... Good luck Milton with the selection, you paid dearly for it!

Mr. Scheutz may very well be the premier candidate...but I believe the city of Milton owes it to the citizens...especially in light of the ethanol plant back door deal...to be totally transparent in this process and let the citizens compare the qualifications of the top five candidates for themselves.
This was not allowed, and it is a grave injustice to all.
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P.S. This is not a simple officer hiring we're talking about...it's the chief for crying out loud.

Didn't Tupper publicly promise the next chief would be promoted from within because there were a number of strong internal candidates just a few months ago???? The only reason that wasn't done is because the city administrator couldn't manipulate any of them. There was no choice but to use one of Roberts's personal friends so that the secret agendas and lies of the administrator could be carried out.

It's unfortunate that Milton can't be noted for its ethical and moral city decisions.

Here’s a thought, who can say the commission only were given applicants who barely met the qualifications or for that matter didn’t even meet the minimum qualification? If they picked Jerry from a field of 5. I’d say the 5 were FINALIST! Release their names and qualifications. Something doesn’t sound right here.

I think the police commission needs to go back and review all resumes to see if there are other possible candidates Mr. Roberts didn’t “overlook”.

I’ll even go this far, if all 6 original people that were offered interviews met the minimum requires, I’ll give this subject a rest. I’m willing to bet, you’ll be hearing from me again!!!!

Just hope he is not a council Puppet

This is an example of how the hiring process works in LE:
My PD was hiring 15 officers.
550 people applied.
120 or so applicants met the minimum requirements and were accepted to complete the physical, written and first oral interview.
55 were accepted to undergo psych evaluation and second interview.
30 were chosen for an interview with the local chief, chief deputy and interview with background investigators at the applicants home.
The 120 original candidates were chosen not by the department doing the hiring, but the hiring committee, which include the police and fire commission from surrounding areas. Personal connections only help if the candidate has already passed the year long testing process every hopeful officer has to endure. And based on this mans career thus far, I think Milton has hired above the curve.

Do you realize the police and fire commission didn’t even know who the other 31 applicants were or their qualifications! Mr. Roberts only gave them the 6 people who they interviewed. I find it hard to believe only one person was qualified for the job in Milton.

GuardianAngel has a good point. Mr. Roberts and Mr. Schuetz share more than a common interest in law enforcement. I see it pays to be buddies with Mr. Roberts. Seeing how the 30+ entries for the position were narrowed to 6 with only 5 being given interviews. Out of all of that, ta-dah, you get 1 candidate that just so happens to have an immediate connection to UW-Platteville. Despite the 180 miles and 3 hours that separate UW-Platteville and the Fox Valley, both of these men are instructors at this college. I hope this is a mere coincidence, and I hope that this man can do what he needs to to get Milton out of the news. It just has a bit of that too fast, too smooth, too close smell. The Fox Valley, Appleton Police, Fox Valley Tech. & North Central Tech. College connection could be viewed as both good and bad. Good in that Roberts may really know this guy and think he is the best for this job. Bad in that he may really know this guy and think he is guiding the path that leads to his prophetic career enhancement for his friend. Either way, the only good candidate to present to the Council is:[insert drum roll] Jerold K. Schuetz
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Mr. Roberts, word has it Manawa is in need of a fill in. Unless, that is, you plan to fulfill my prophecy that you will convince the Council to let you stick around for $60+/hr as a consultant to your friend while he works into his new position. I mean, he does have 4 times the population and 8 more officers to work with now. Did I say 8? I meant 10, but the other 2 have yet to be hired. Have anyone else in mind to fill them?

Where are all the naysayers from yesterday? No negatives?