Shane Breitenbach named Gillett police chief

Kevin Schneider held the post since 2019
By: 
NEW Media Staff

The City of Gillett promoted Shane Breitenbach to be its new police chief Sept. 2.

Breitenbach succeeds Kevin Schneider, who had served as interim chief starting in February 2019 and was granted the job permanently three months later. He has taken another position, Mayor Josh McCarthy said in announcing the change.

McCarthy said Schneider has been an “outstanding” chief of police.

“I could not have asked for a better chief and ultimately a better person to run the police department,” McCarthy said. “The knowledge, skills and the friendly people personality that chief Kevin brought made our working relationship very easy.”

Schneider promoted a culture of sound, community-friendly policing, McCarthy said. The outgoing chief convinced the city to add a fourth full-time officer last year to maintain 24/7 coverage with minimal scheduling conflicts, he said.

Breitenbach “has vast knowledge, leadership training and law enforcement experience that will make the transition from one chief to another very smooth,” McCarthy said. “Shane will be faced with the challenges of a small-town police force. But as a council, we know he is the man for the job.”

Schneider joined the Gillett department in 2017 after 16 years as a trooper with the Wisconsin State Patrol. He has a police science degree from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and also served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps.