The Oconto County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 22 honored former chief deputy Darren Laskowski, who retired July 5 after 30 years with the sheriff’s department.
Sheriff Todd Skarban said Laskowski started as a correctional officer and served as a patrol deputy, but the longest part of his career was as an investigator.
“We investigated a lot of things together, and it was the ugly, violent side of things,” Skarban said. He added that it was an easy decision after he was first elected sheriff in 2019 to pick his “trusted co-worker and friend” to be the next chief deputy.
“Together we endured a macroburst — we didn’t even know what that meant — and then we had to endure a pandemic,” the sheriff said, referring to the devastating windstorm of 2019 and the COVID-19 lockdowns. “The best part was he was a sounding board for me, where if I went too far in one direction or too far in the other direction, we were really able to have good meaningful conversation.”
Supervisor Dennis Kroll, chairman of the public safety committee, said Laskowski was also his neighbor and a good friend.
“He helps anybody, always with a smile on his face,” Kroll said. “This is one great man.”
Kroll and County Board Chairman Al Sleeter presented Laskowski with a certificate of appreciation for his years of service.
Supervisor Tracy Ondik, who is also chairman of Oconto County Emergency Medical Services, also recognized the former chief deputy for fostering an atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration between local law enforcement and EMS providers.
“He clearly went above and beyond for us, with us to make sure that was in place and in a good spot for the future,” Ondik said.
Laskowski thanked the board for the recognition and for its support over the years.
He noted that he had applied to join the sheriff’s department twice before, going through tests, background checks and interviews in 1992 and 1993, before receiving “We regret to inform you” letters.
“I kept the rejection letters as motivation,” Laskowski said. “It fueled me, gave me a lot of confidence, and made me who I was today. I appreciate the letters of rejection, but I also like the third one.”
He admitted that as a patrol deputy, he didn’t like to write tickets and wanted something different.
“I was a sucker for ‘late for work,’ ‘late for school,’ ‘late for curfew,’ all those things,” Laskowski said. “I wrote a lot of warnings.”
He said he found his true calling when he joined the investigative team after five years and enjoyed the challenges of being an investigator.
“There were no warnings in that job,” Laskowski said. “That was a serious job, and I took it very seriously.”
Former chief deputy honored
