GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Green Bay Police will have an opening at the top in the coming weeks.
The Department and the Mayor’s office are confirming that Chief Tom Molitor will step down July 31st.
Molitor has been chief since 2013 and served as interim Chief for several months prior to that when former chief Jim Arts left the post. Molitor has served the Green Bay P.D. prior to that as well. He retired in June of 2011 as assistant chief.
He had been with Green Bay Police Department since was first hired as a cadet in 1980.
Molitor has guided the department through high profile police shootings and another charge of excessive use of force against one of his officers.
Mayor Jim Schmitt quickly placed the blame with several city council members.
“It’s a tough environment right now, he’s not well respected by a couple council people,” said Schmitt Thursday. “Tom has a plan that supports community engagement, some people don’t believe in that vision, he’s asked to get an assistant chief, that’s been denied.”
One of those council members is believed to be Guy Zima. When reached by phone Thursday, Zima offered a different view.
“We got the willing to give him all the help he needs to solve all these problems, and he says well I don’t need it,” said Zima. “The problem is the Mayor wants him to do everything within his existing budget.”
Zima, who wasn’t too surprised by the announcement, believes that Molitor was, “stuck between a rock and a hard place” because of Schmitt.
“The most disrespectful person on the common council is the Mayor himself, he can’t seem to handle anybody who has an opinion different from his,” Zima added. “And if we quiz very hard anybody that brings a proposal he approves forward, if we try to ask the hard questions, he acts like its rude or something, and of course it isn’t.”
Schmitt hopes to have an interim chief named within a few weeks, and a permanent replacement by year’s end.
You can view Chief Tom Molitor’s letter by clicking the PDF above.
