Scott Drew grew up in Port Edwards. Now he's ready to serve as its police chief

PORT EDWARDS - Scott Drew might not have known it when he was younger, but he seemed destined from a young age to take the reins as the village's police chief. 

Drew, 48, grew up in the village of Port Edwards and his father was a part-time police officer during the 1970s. Drew remembers sitting at the police chief's desk as a teenager and playing cards with now retired Deputy Police Chief Lonn Radtke.

The Port Edwards Police and Fire Commission searched for a new chief who had established relationships in the area, said Scott Stewart, commission chairman. Assistance from nearby departments often is needed during major incidents like a fatal crash or homicide and during high-volume call times like during a major storm, he said.

"Collaboration agreements are a result of relationships which have been established at the upper levels of police departments," Stewart said. 

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On Sept. 10, Drew was officially sworn in as the new police chief. Drew worked began working part time for the department in early August to familiarize himself with the Port Edwards Police Department while he helped train his successor on the duties of the department's process server at the Wood County Sheriff's Department.

Drew became a part-time deputy with the Wood County Sheriff's Department in 1996. He got his first full-time police officer job in McFarland 2 ½ years later. He returned to the Wood County Sheriff's Department as a full-time deputy in 2001 and became a patrol sergeant in 2007. For the past four years, he's been responsible for serving papers for the department. 

Drew told the Daily Tribune this week that he talked to several people to get advice before applying for the chief's position. He decided taking the top position at his hometown department was the best next step in his career. 

Drew succeeds Chief Jennifer Iverson, who agreed to resign her position with the village after she was accused of unsafe and unprofessional conduct at a children's festival. Iverson was police chief for about three years. 

Drew said his biggest goal for the Port Edwards Police Department is to improve relationships with the community. Drew said growing up in and raising his children in Port Edwards has made the job easier. He has recognized most of the people he's come in contact with since he took office, he said. 

The Port Edwards Police Department door is now open to the public when Drew is in his office. As a working police chief, Drew answers calls and does patrols, but he hopes village residents will stop in and say hello when he is in the office. Drew also promises that messages left on the department's voicemail will be answered. Anyone with urgent requests should contact the Wood County Combined Dispatch Center, he said. 

Drew also has started reaching out to the community using Facebook. He's started posting messages for the community on the page to keep residents informed. When a string of break ins to vehicles occurred during the past weekend, Drew posted a notice to the Facebook page warning residents to lock their vehicles. .

Drew has reached out to Port Edwards grades 7 to 12 Principal Donna Shroda to keep communications open between the Police Department and the school. He already had a relationship with school staff from his children attending school in the village, Stewart said. 

"Our children are of upmost importance to us in this community," Stewart said. "Scott recognized this and has a plan in place to continue to grow the Police Department relationship with the School District."

Drew said he also plans to take the department's budget seriously. The department had a 2019 budget of about $280,000 and Drew plans to stay close to that amount. One area where he wants to cut spending in the department is overtime. 

The Port Edwards Police Department has two full-time and three part-time officers, Drew said. The goal is to get three full-time officers. Drew has permission for four part-time officers but plans to keep the number at three for now, he said. 

One of the reasons the Police and Fire Commission chose Drew was because of the need for a mentor in the department, Stewart said. Radtke's recent retirement and another officer's plans to retire soon means the department will have a new staff, and Drew has the experience and knowledge of the community to develop the new officers in community-oriented policing, Stewart said. 

Drew said he's excited about his new position and the challenges it will bring. He's happy he will be able to serve the community he and his wife of 20 years, Julie, call home. 

"My wife and I love our home in the village of Port Edwards," Drew said.