Stevens Point Police Chief Martin Skibba
Stevens Point Police Chief Martin Skibba
Stevens Point’s police chief has filed his resignation following an independent investigation into his conduct on the job.
Martin Skibba resigned as police chief effective June 19, according to his resignation letter set to the police and fire commission.
Skibba in his letter said his leave had become “politicized,” and that he no longer felt he could effectively advocate for the officers on his force.
Skibba was investigated by the police and fire commission earlier this year for drinking on the job. Skibba told investigators he’d become depressed after the death of his parents and had turned to drinking.
The city’s Police and Fire Commission had suspended Skibba without pay for 15 days in March, a punishment criticized by many as being too lax, including Stevens Point’s police union.
According to a statement from the Stevens Point Police and Fire Commission, further information was brought to their attention about the case by the police union, which had made a vote of no confidence against Skibba. Following legal advice, the commission requested the Wausau Police Department conduct an investigation. Skibba resigned shortly thereafter.
Assistant Chief Tom Zenner has been named interim police chief.
