By Heather Graves
Editor
DE PERE – It’s the beginning of a new era in the City of De Pere.
Jeremy Muraski was sworn in as the city’s next police chief Dec. 22, taking the reins of the police department just days before Christmas.
It’s the first change in department leadership since June 2002 when outgoing Chief Derek Beiderwieden filled the position.
The De Pere Police and Fire Commission selected Muraski to become De Pere’s new police chief in early November, from a pool of four finalists after a nearly four-month search process.
Muraski has a long-tenured history in local law enforcement, serving for 21 years with the Green Bay Police Department before joining the De Pere Police Department as a captain in 2019 where he supervised all day-to-day operations of the uniformed Patrol Division.
Muraski is a 1996 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and law.
“Captain Muraski is an excellent leader, and one we are thrilled to see take over as Police Chief in our community,” De Pere Mayor James Boyd said. “Our City has long been known for its safety and high quality of life, and we look forward to Muraski continuing this standard, while also spearheading new ways of offering progressive, innovative, responsive and professional policing in the City of De Pere.”
Beiderwieden retires
After nearly four decades in law enforcement, serving as chief for nearly 20, Beiderwieden has called it a career.
“I have spent 37 years volunteering to take guff from all levels of society, and I wouldn’t change it for the world because for each bit of guff I had endured, there was ten times more joy in serving others,” Beiderwieden said. “When I was in boy scouts, I learned some very powerful and important lessons about cheerful service to others, along with honesty, dedication, ethics and a certain profound spirituality. Those qualities led me to this job… I just didn’t know during those impressionable years that I would be dedicated to serving others for my whole life.”
His law enforcement career began in 1984 as a reserve officer in Perry, Michigan.
“I had to purchase my own uniforms, gear, bullet resistant vest and weapon,” Beiderwieden said. “I had a passion to become a police officer.”
In 1985, Beiderwieden became a Lansing, Mich., police officer and served in various ranks in Lansing before coming to De Pere.
“There is a highly-dedicated staff, not only in the police department, but at all levels of the organization and in all departments,” he said. “We’re not all perfect as some hold us out to be. We’re flawed and error-prone, just like the rest of the world, but what sets the police and city staff apart is the amount of honor and pride they have in what they do and to do things right. That is what has kept me around for almost 20 years – the people.”