By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
At a special meeting on July 25 the City of Whitewater Police and Fire Commission unanimously approved the appointment of Daniel “Dan” A. Meyer as police chief, subject to negotiation of salary and benefits with city staff and the approval of the Common Council. Per state statute, the hiring of a police chief is the responsibility of the Police & Fire Commission; however, the Common Council has sole responsibility for approving significant financial matters such as wages. Meyer is currently the deputy chief and has been acting chief since Aaron Raap, who had served as chief since June, 2018, was placed on administrative leave in December, 2021. Raap resigned and retired effective June 30, 2022.
Meyer graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2009 from UW-Platteville with a B.S. in Criminal Justice, with minors in psychology and Spanish. There he was a four year letter winner in track and field. The same year he graduated from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Academy. Meyer joined the Whitewater Police Department as a patrol officer in January of 2010. He served as a detective from January 2013 to August, 2014. Meyer then rose through the ranks as follows: Detective Sergeant, August, 2014; Detective Lieutenant, September, 2015; Captain, November, 2015, and Deputy Chief, April, 2019.
Meyer earned an M.S. in Public Administration, with a criminology and criminal justice specialization from University of Nebraska – Omaha in 2019.
He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in 2020 after eight years of service.
In his current position Meyer is responsible for a wide range of roles, including direct supervision of the captain and the support services manager and oversight of 35 employees. He is the public information officer, manages critical incidents and major events, and coordinates internal and citizen complaint investigations. He has also managed the accreditation process. Last year the department received its seventh accreditation from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group. He is currently vice president of the Wisconsin Police Accreditation Coalition.
