Plover Announces New Police Chief
By Jake Mathias
The Village of Plover Police and Fire Commission announced Dan Ault as the successor to the current chief, Dwayne Wierzba, who will retire in January.
Ault currently works as the chief of police in Oconto.
Before moving to Wisconsin in 2012, Ault was a patrol shift supervisor sergeant and detective for the Village of Rantoul, IL from 1998 to 2012; a patrol and field training officer in Villa Grove, IL from 1993 to 1998 and prior to that a reserve deputy sheriff in Clay County, Florida. Ault is also a veteran of the United States Navy, serving from 1988 to 1992.
“I was a level two firefighter when I came to Illinois.” said Ault. “That was the start of my career in emergency services.”
Ault said he’s “done a little bit of everything in in emergency services”, to include firefighting to EMS to law enforcement.
“[I] even did a stint as a dispatcher,” he said.
Tim Durigan, the Plover Police and Fire Commission Chairman, said the commission was impressed with Ault’s leadership skills, his community policing experience and his work with the Oconto School District.
“Mr. Ault is an individual who cares greatly about the community in which he works, takes great pride in developing and mentoring his staff and works tirelessly to be a team player and a community builder,” said Village President Dan Schlutter.
“I’ve got a very broad range of experience from all the emergency services,” Ault said. “I think my range of experience, I can look at it from different perspectives.”
Ault said his family first came to Plover while vacationing in Central Wisconsin and visited the UWSP campus.
“I saw the Plover police chief job,” Ault said. “What a great community with a lot happening.”
“You’re there to make that difference. Whether it’s saving a life by doing CPR or pulling someone out of a car or a house that’s on fire…help people from being victimized,” he said. “I feel that’s the way that I can contribute to the community.
Ault will be sworn in as chief on January, 19 2015 at 8 AM in the Village of Plover Board Room.