Editor's note: The following story has been updated
MONROE - As the voice and face of the Monroe Police Department for more than two decades, Fred Kelley says he simply isn't ready to retire.
He could have hung up his hat years ago but says he's still working for both the department and the community and enjoying his job. He's delving into the latest technology and yet always keeps one foot back into the past, still finding importance in keeping Monroe the safe community so many have always known.
Kelley was born in Richland Center, but the family moved often around northern Illinois and Wisconsin. He was raised in New Berlin and recalls race riots in the town close to Milwaukee.
At the end of his sophomore year, Kelley says his parents split and the family returned to Richland Center. His only brother was several years younger than him.
Kelley made friends in the neighborhood and in high school enjoyed both football and baseball. He was also active in theater, taking the lead role in "The Rainmaker." He says memorizing lines was difficult for him, but he enjoyed being a part of the performances.
By the age of 16, Kelley worked in a grocery store and enjoyed hunting and fishing with friends. He said growing up in a single-parent household made him rely heavily on strong friendships to influence his life.
The 1973 Richland Center High School graduate decided to join the Army and served with the Military Police. After the Army he attended UW-Richland but shortly after applied at the local police department and was hired in 1977.
The rookie cop had three years of experience with the military police but says he never thought it would become his career. Richland Center had a population of about 5,000 and Kelley worked general enforcement on the night shift. He enjoyed the work in Richland Center, which was a dry town at the time, and stayed that way until the 1980s. He laughs when thinks of catching "bootleggers" back in his early police days.
"I enjoyed it," Kelley said. "I got along well with people and I knew a lot of people. I think it helped that I wasn't a stranger."
It was early on in his career when Kelley learned what he calls "policing." It's something that's naturally practiced in small towns, he says, which is simply developing relationships with the people and their families and helping them with their problems.
"You learn to be an effective cop in a small community," Kelley said.
On Christmas Eve in 1979, Kelley recalls finding a car crashed into a telephone pole, but the driver was nowhere to be found. He followed tracks through the snow to the driver's home a few blocks away when he was greeted by an intoxicated person who eventually stabbed him with an arrow in the upper thigh.
It may be a "cop thing," but so many memories like those that stand out make him laugh now.
He worked in Richland Center for two years when a friend moved to Monroe and encouraged Kelley to do the same. After two years, he applied to the Monroe Police Department and started in April of 1980.
He says he knew little about the department or the community, but it was a busy town in the early 1980s. The border community offered a younger drinking age than neighboring Illinois and he recalls more disorder but still very little real crime.
After five years, Kelley was promoted to sergeant. He spent two years in the detective bureau and then joined the drug task force for another five years. He worked undercover in Monroe and neighboring cities and states where he says he made great contacts and friends in several agencies he still keeps up with. The work was intense but exciting, he said.
While working undercover and wearing long hair, earrings and facial hair, Kelley learned the position for the Monroe Police Chief opened. He never expected to land the job but applied anyway for the experience.
He explained his unusual appearance to the police and fire commission during his interview, he said, and shortly after went to work in an undercover drug operation.
He was sworn into the position in January 1995.
The chief before him, Richard Busch, was a great example of what Kelley hoped to continue. He says he finds meaning in treating employees fairly, staying neutral in the community and knowing the importance of getting things done.
"I planned to emulate a lot of that," Kelley said. "I thought he was a good example."
After 22 years as the police chief, he's seen a lot in both the community and the department. He dealt with the presence of Monroe's first gang members and in 2015 the city had its first homicide in recent history.
He says it's been the employees who have made his job so special.
"It's a lot easier to do your job when you have good people working for you," Kelley said.
As the voice for the department, he says he works hard to fight for the police budget and to keep officers in safe and effective gear along with offering competitive salaries. He feels lucky to get along well with city council members.
"I've always tried to be a good overseer of the city's funds," Kelley said. "We want the department to be the best that it can be while trying to keep up with technology we can have at our fingertips."
Technology has been the biggest change Kelley has seen in law enforcement. It wasn't so long ago that he drove a squad car with no FM radio. Although he realizes the importance of technology, he says he still believes in the traditional world where officers are on bikes and foot, interacting with the community.
"I believe a kind word and a warning can go a long way," Kelley said.
Kelley says he has felt fulfilled, successful and happy in Monroe. Although he says he'll never truly be considered a local, he's going to keep trying.
"I've been lucky in the things that I've done, and hopefully I've made a difference," Kelley said. "I'm hoping I've set the department up for the future as well as I can."
Although Kelley has valued neutrality in the community, he has spoken to several service organizations in the community and someday hopes to join one. He says he's been glad to have been a part of helping many groups achieve their needs when it comes to help from the department for special events.
In his free time, Kelley enjoys traveling with his wife, Michelle. He also loves history and often studies and reads non-fiction, enjoying learning about the gangsters of the 1930s era. He enjoys the old west, military and war history. He also enjoys spending time with his three children and two grandchildren whenever he can.
Kelley says it's a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. that he's lived by after 40 years in law enforcement, where you often see people at their worst, and empathy can be fleeting. That quote is:
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
MONROE - As the voice and face of the Monroe Police Department for more than two decades, Fred Kelley says he simply isn't ready to retire.
He could have hung up his hat years ago but says he's still working for both the department and the community and enjoying his job. He's delving into the latest technology and yet always keeps one foot back into the past, still finding importance in keeping Monroe the safe community so many have always known.
Kelley was born in Richland Center, but the family moved often around northern Illinois and Wisconsin. He was raised in New Berlin and recalls race riots in the town close to Milwaukee.
At the end of his sophomore year, Kelley says his parents split and the family returned to Richland Center. His only brother was several years younger than him.
Kelley made friends in the neighborhood and in high school enjoyed both football and baseball. He was also active in theater, taking the lead role in "The Rainmaker." He says memorizing lines was difficult for him, but he enjoyed being a part of the performances.
By the age of 16, Kelley worked in a grocery store and enjoyed hunting and fishing with friends. He said growing up in a single-parent household made him rely heavily on strong friendships to influence his life.
The 1973 Richland Center High School graduate decided to join the Army and served with the Military Police. After the Army he attended UW-Richland but shortly after applied at the local police department and was hired in 1977.
The rookie cop had three years of experience with the military police but says he never thought it would become his career. Richland Center had a population of about 5,000 and Kelley worked general enforcement on the night shift. He enjoyed the work in Richland Center, which was a dry town at the time, and stayed that way until the 1980s. He laughs when thinks of catching "bootleggers" back in his early police days.
"I enjoyed it," Kelley said. "I got along well with people and I knew a lot of people. I think it helped that I wasn't a stranger."
It was early on in his career when Kelley learned what he calls "policing." It's something that's naturally practiced in small towns, he says, which is simply developing relationships with the people and their families and helping them with their problems.
"You learn to be an effective cop in a small community," Kelley said.
On Christmas Eve in 1979, Kelley recalls finding a car crashed into a telephone pole, but the driver was nowhere to be found. He followed tracks through the snow to the driver's home a few blocks away when he was greeted by an intoxicated person who eventually stabbed him with an arrow in the upper thigh.
It may be a "cop thing," but so many memories like those that stand out make him laugh now.
He worked in Richland Center for two years when a friend moved to Monroe and encouraged Kelley to do the same. After two years, he applied to the Monroe Police Department and started in April of 1980.
He says he knew little about the department or the community, but it was a busy town in the early 1980s. The border community offered a younger drinking age than neighboring Illinois and he recalls more disorder but still very little real crime.
After five years, Kelley was promoted to sergeant. He spent two years in the detective bureau and then joined the drug task force for another five years. He worked undercover in Monroe and neighboring cities and states where he says he made great contacts and friends in several agencies he still keeps up with. The work was intense but exciting, he said.
While working undercover and wearing long hair, earrings and facial hair, Kelley learned the position for the Monroe Police Chief opened. He never expected to land the job but applied anyway for the experience.
He explained his unusual appearance to the police and fire commission during his interview, he said, and shortly after went to work in an undercover drug operation.
He was sworn into the position in January 1995.
The chief before him, Richard Busch, was a great example of what Kelley hoped to continue. He says he finds meaning in treating employees fairly, staying neutral in the community and knowing the importance of getting things done.
"I planned to emulate a lot of that," Kelley said. "I thought he was a good example."
After 22 years as the police chief, he's seen a lot in both the community and the department. He dealt with the presence of Monroe's first gang members and in 2015 the city had its first homicide in recent history.
He says it's been the employees who have made his job so special.
"It's a lot easier to do your job when you have good people working for you," Kelley said.
As the voice for the department, he says he works hard to fight for the police budget and to keep officers in safe and effective gear along with offering competitive salaries. He feels lucky to get along well with city council members.
"I've always tried to be a good overseer of the city's funds," Kelley said. "We want the department to be the best that it can be while trying to keep up with technology we can have at our fingertips."
Technology has been the biggest change Kelley has seen in law enforcement. It wasn't so long ago that he drove a squad car with no FM radio. Although he realizes the importance of technology, he says he still believes in the traditional world where officers are on bikes and foot, interacting with the community.
"I believe a kind word and a warning can go a long way," Kelley said.
Kelley says he has felt fulfilled, successful and happy in Monroe. Although he says he'll never truly be considered a local, he's going to keep trying.
"I've been lucky in the things that I've done, and hopefully I've made a difference," Kelley said. "I'm hoping I've set the department up for the future as well as I can."
Although Kelley has valued neutrality in the community, he has spoken to several service organizations in the community and someday hopes to join one. He says he's been glad to have been a part of helping many groups achieve their needs when it comes to help from the department for special events.
In his free time, Kelley enjoys traveling with his wife, Michelle. He also loves history and often studies and reads non-fiction, enjoying learning about the gangsters of the 1930s era. He enjoys the old west, military and war history. He also enjoys spending time with his three children and two grandchildren whenever he can.
Kelley says it's a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. that he's lived by after 40 years in law enforcement, where you often see people at their worst, and empathy can be fleeting. That quote is:
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."