Gillett Police Department

05/25/2026

05/07/2026

From the Chief’s Desk…..

Gillett Police Department / 208 incidents / April 2026

The Gillett Police Department hosted the bi-annual National Drug Takeback Day on April 25 from 10am-2pm. Nearly 40 lbs of medication were collected. These medications were delivered to the northern region drop off site located at the WI State Patrol, Wausau post. The collected medications are turned over to the United States Drug Enforcement Agency for proper disposal. This event is in addition to our daily drug takeback drop box which is located in the police department lobby.

SRO Hull has completed her EMT refresher certification training. This training fulfills her EMT refresher requirements for the State of Wisconsin and the National Registry of EMT's. In addition to being an officer and an EMT, SRO Hull is also a certified firefighter.

Officer Braun has been appointed as the department’s new Ordinance Enforcement Officer. Officer Braun has been working with multiple property owners. We are seeing moderate but steady improvements at most of the trouble properties.

I attended a CORE (Coordinated Response Exercise) pipeline emergency response training hosted by Paradigm Liaison Services. This training helps develop or maintain relationships with local pipeline and gas distribution operators. Attendees were able to network with fellow first responders and operators in our area to pre-plan a coordinated response, as well as receive updated operator and emergency contact information. Additional topics included knowledge of what products are being transported through our communities, specific hazards of these products, leak recognition and response, and proper emergency preparedness communications.

We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to Gillett Girl Scout Troop #4424 for the case of Girl Scout cookies! Thanks for thinking of us! I would also like to thank Shane and Julie Rank for their donation of new wood posts for our temporary No Parking signs. The No Parking signs are utilized during various events throughout the summer. The signs definitely needed the repairs!

Chief Shane Breitenbach

04/25/2026

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: Gillett Police Department
Phone: (920) 855-2125

THE GILLETT POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL HOST THE
SPRING 2026 PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY ON APRIL 25TH

The City of Gillett Police Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25th at the Gillett Police Department ,150 N. McKenzie Ave, from 10am-2pm.

“Drug Take Back Day is about prevention,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Please help with the fight against addiction by disposing of your unused and unwanted medications at a Drug Take Back event this Saturday or at a permanent drug drop box.”

This effort will continue to bring focus to the issue of prescription medication abuse in Wisconsin. Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications. Find your nearest drug disposal location: www.doseofrealitywi.gov

Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all pharmaceuticals and trace amounts are showing up in rivers and lakes.

GUIDELINES:

All waste pharmaceuticals must be generated by a household – no businesses are allowed.

Bring: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials, pet medications, v**e pens or other e-cigarette devices (batteries removed).

Do Not Bring: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas), mercury thermometers.

• Participants may dispose of solid, non-liquid medication(s) by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into a disposal box or into a clear sealable plastic bag. Plastic pill containers should not be collected. Blister packages without the medications being removed are acceptable.

• Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams and sprays must be in their original packaging. Liquids without the original packaging will not be accepted.

• Illicit substances such as ma*****na or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.

Community members are also reminded that many drug disposal boxes are open year-round.

04/02/2026

From the Chief's Desk……
Gillett Police Department \ 175 incidents \ March 2026

I participated in a training event hosted by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. The training revolved around pressing and evolving challenges facing Wisconsin's law enforcement agencies including police liability and the role of sound policy in managing risk. Other topics discussed included the rising settlement costs to the ever-changing legal landscape, the evolving landscape of police liability, Wisconsin's statutory policy requirements, and the practical steps administrators can take to protect their agencies.

SRO Hull was able to utilize funds provided by an Opioid Remediation Grant to bring the inspirational speaker, Douglas Darby, to speak at several schools throughout the county. Douglas Darby is a survivor in long-term recovery who is committed to igniting the very spark in a person that will help change the world we live in. Douglas' mission is to bring different educational programs into mental health, substance use, connection and inspiring hope not only in youth but in all of us.

SRO Hull has secured two new AED’s for the school district buildings. SRO Hull also advised that the security curtains have been installed on all of the classroom doors.

SRO Hull is working on bringing a peer support program, Sources of Strength, into our schools. The Sources of Strength peer support group is a peer-led mental wellness program that aims to prevent su***de and promote mental health in youth. It utilizes a relational connections model, where peer leaders are mentored by adult advisors to change peer social norms and encourage help-seeking behaviors. The program focuses on upstream, strength-based work to reduce the likelihood of suicidal behavior among high school students. It trains peer leaders to conduct messaging activities that reduce the acceptability of su***de and increase the acceptability of seeking help. The program is designed to be a multi-year project with ongoing peer messaging and contacts growing over time.

As a reminder, on April 25, 2026, from 10am-2pm, the Gillett Police Department will be hosting the annual Spring Drug Takeback event. This event is a special nationwide drug take back event! Also, as a reminder we have a drug drop-off container located in the Gillett Police Department lobby that is available daily.

Chief Shane Breitenbach

03/12/2026

From the Chief's Desk…….

Gillett Police Department \ 228 incidents\ February 2026

Our department has been directing a good portion of our patrol operations to monitoring traffic in and around the construction areas. Less travelled areas of the city are now experiencing sharp increases in traffic flow. Load limits have been posted on these thorough fares due to damage being made by large truck traffic utilizing city side streets due to the road closures. Additionally, the surrounding townships and counties have implemented their spring load limit restrictions further complicating the traffic flow especially for semis.

Due to this and the beginning of the WI DOT portion of the construction project in the next couple of weeks, you will notice an increasing presence of WI State Patrol Troopers/Inspectors in the area. The Troopers/ Inspectors will be focusing on increasing the safety of the construction crews while attempting to maintain the condition of the surrounding area’s roadways. This past week several troopers/ inspectors were in the area, and we worked together on directed truck enforcement in and around the city.

To assist with large truck access to the city, the Gillett City Public Works Department has established a new truck route into the city. Access can be made to all businesses including the Gillett Industrial Park. This route will be utilized for most of the upcoming phase of the construction project. There will be times throughout the length of the project that the route will have to be altered for several days at a time. Please contact Gillett City Hall or the Gillett Police Department for updates on any further closures and route changes. I have been working with several business and trucking firms creating solutions to the logistical issues they have been experiencing.

SRO Hull provided me with updates on the happenings at school. SRO Hull advised that citations for truancy have been decreasing. SRO Hull finished School Resource Officer school. SRO Hull told me the training was excellent and has helped her further understand the parameters between school disciplinary actions and law enforcement actions. SRO Hull is also working on a presentation for school staff to present during their spring in-service training. The presentation will educate staff on when they can handle an issue in-house or if they are required to advise SRO Hull of the incident for law enforcement involvement.

#771 Chief Shane Breitenbach

02/14/2026

🚓National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day🚓

National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day is this Sunday, February 15. A special thank you to SRO Hull for her continued commitment to her job and our youth.

SRO’s serve as informal mentors / counselors, law educators, and law enforcement officers all while supporting the students and communities in which they serve. They are valuable and essential members of the education community who deserve unwavering respect and support from the public in the pursuit of keeping schools and students safe.


Thank you SRO Hull, your dedication does not go unnoticed!

02/07/2026

************************UPDATE************************

Repairs have been completed!

Good morning. We are aware of a water main break near the intersection of W. Main and S. Elm St. Repair crews are enroute and will be making the appropriate repairs. Please avoid that area and choose alternative routes. Thank you!

02/06/2026

From the Chief's Desk…….

Gillett Police Department \ 184 incidents \ January 2026

I have begun the initial preliminary interview processes for three of the recent applicants. Each of the three candidates has completed a ride along with me. The applicants have been provided with our background information packets to complete. Once I receive the packets I will begin the formal background investigations. I’m looking forward to providing my findings to the council for review sometime in late March/early April. As always, finding solid, qualified individuals is proving to be a very difficult task.

As most of you know, the Gillett Police Department participates in the National Drug Takeback Day events held in the spring and fall of each year. The Wisconsin Department of Justice recently announced that Wisconsin ranked number one throughout the country for the most prescription medications collected during the fall of 2025 Drug Take Back. Wisconsin collected 53,498 lbs. of unwanted medications this fall. The Gillett Police Department averages approximately 100 lbs. of medications yearly that are turned over to the Wisconsin Department of Justice for proper disposal.

On January 20th, I attended the quarterly meeting of the Oconto County Crisis Committee Team. Topics discussed included the sizeable increase in Adult Protective Services (APS) cases and Crisis Intervention cases county wide. In 2025, Crisis and Adult Protective Service/Elder-at-risk departments handled approximately 600 cases. That’s nearly 2 cases per day. Many of these cases required extensive law enforcement involvement. This is just a small look into the types of incidents that we are responding to on an ever-increasing basis.

Over the past few years, the open records requests have increased sharply. Some of these requests require immense amount of time for review and redaction work of the information before it can be released. City Clerk Chelsea Anderson offered to assist with these requests but due to information security protocols put in place by the Department of Justice and the current set-up of our technology services, we were unable to make that happen. I spoke with the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office Records Management Department and inquired about possible software that could assist with the records redactions. I was able to purchase a license for the same software that the sheriff’s department utilizes for their records redactions. Oconto County Technology Servies will be working on uploading the programs and the sheriff’s department has offered to assist me with learning the use of the software.

Chief Shane Breitenbach

01/21/2026

As a friendly reminder we are in the yearly winter parking season. We thank everyone for doing a great job of keeping the streets clear for our snow removal crews. Also please be aware of the fire hydrants throughout the city. We've seen an increase in vehicles parking too close to the hydrants. WI law states vehicles cannot be parked within 10 feet of a fire hydrant, unless a greater distance is indicated by an official traffic sign.

Gillett City Ordinance § 19-3 D

“Winter Parking. No person shall park a motor vehicle on any city street from November 1 to April 1 between the hours of 1:00 AM and 6:00 AM.”

Thank you!
City of Gillett Police Department☃️