APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – A new assistant chief will be sworn in by the Appleton Police Department Thursday.
Larry Potter is currently a captain and has spent all 24 of years in law enforcement in Appleton, having previously held the roles of school resource officer lieutenant, patrol lieutenant, field training officer, and patrol officer.
Potter believes having held a number of positions in the department will help him in his new role.
“I did a significant amount of time on patrol, which I think is critical. I’ve been out working night shifts for an extended period of time. I know what problems the patrol officers run into, what kind of crimes we respond to.”
Potter says he’s most excited about expanding a program that he started implementing in his district during the past year.
“When people call in, and they’re concerned about an area or a problem in their neighborhood, I want those tasks officially assigned to somebody. Then the caller knows we heard them. The caller sees us and got the response they were looking for.”
Potter notes the program has gotten a very positive response from the community.
Shifting gears, Potter shares what he learned from the man he’s replacing, retiring Assistant Chief Todd Olm.
“He was very grounded, very humble, and had a lot of wisdom that he shared along the way too. Not to do a knee-jerk type of reaction, but just calm, gather the information, let’s assess it, and respond appropriately.”
Potter says it feels like the right time in his career to pursue this new challenge.
Lieutenant Polly Wilson is assuming Potter’s role as captain.
