Brian began his career in law enforcement at a very young age as an officer in Milwaukee. Working in Wisconsin’s largest city was a stark contrast to his life growing up in a small town in the northwestern part of the state. He faced some challenges as he adjusted to the culture and learned to connect with people who had more life experiences than he did, but with each shift, each call and each person he helped, he grew into his role.  

 People rarely think about law enforcement during the good times. They do not call when things are going well; they call when they are in times of crisis, sometimes on the worst day of their life. In those moments is where Brian found his greatest reward. For him, every day was an opportunity to positively change a person’s life.  

He has responded to too many incidents to count over the years: crimes in progress, medical emergencies, industrial accidents, traffic crashes, Some had good outcomes and some did not. One traffic crash that has always stood out to him was a minor crash on a slippery morning. There were no injuries, and there was no serious damage.  

“One of the drivers was so emotionally distraught over the fact she rear-ended a car that she asked me to move her car off the road and have it towed- despite the fact it was drivable,” he said. “She later sent a letter of thanks to the chief commending my work. To me it was a ‘nothing crash,’ but to her it was a significant event in her life. It is nice to have someone thank you for making their circumstances better by what you do.” 

As the years passed, Brian and his wife, Melinda, decided they were interested in raising their two sons outside of the Milwaukee area. They were familiar with Wausau because they had friends that lived here, and Brian knew he liked teaching after having taught Standard Field Sobriety Testing around the state, so when the instructor position at NTC opened up, it seemed like fate.  

Brian brought a lot of knowledge and experience to the criminal justice program at NTC. He held a lot of different positions prior to his first full time job and had a lot of experience: small towns and large cities, municipalities, natural resources, universities, special events, uniform, undercover, jails and communications.  

“This allowed me to be able to have an actual example of something I was involved in for most topics in my classes,” he said. “I always tried to illustrate a concept or topic with an actual event I was involved in and explain how the classroom material related to the event.” 

As he settles into retirement, Brian is looking forward to spending more time outdoors on the water and in the woods, as well as traveling with his wife and helping his sons with projects. He also hopes to return to teaching in some capacity in the future.  

Over the years, Brian has watched many students graduate and go on to positions of leadership and specialization across the state.  

“I have received two contacts from graduates that I will not ever forget,” he said. “One was a letter from an officer who had been thrown several feet from an explosion at a car crash scene and was able to continue to function based on his training. The other was a phone call from an officer who had stopped a car and been shot at by the driver. The officer was able to stay safe and respond appropriately based on his training.  

“Both contacts ended with the officers telling me, ‘Thank you for keeping me alive,’” he added. “I don’t know how it can get any more rewarding than that.”  

Although he is no longer there for the day-to-day training, Brian leaves some advice for future law enforcement professionals.  

“Make sure you are doing this for the right reason - to make a difference,” he said. “There are a lot of easier ways to make a living. This will get more difficult as you go on. Remembering that you are doing it for the right reason will keep you grounded when everything else is chaos around you.”