During a special meeting of the Fennimore City Council last month, the council approved two hirings/promotions in the Fennimore Police Department.
Current Fennimore Police Department Assistant Police Chief Walt Dresen was promoted to replace the current and retiring police chief Chris French.
Additionally, Fennimore Police Officer Adam Fecht has been promoted to fill Dresen’s assistant police chief role.
Dresen is a Fennimore native, graduating from Fennimore High School in 2000, continuing his education at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, earning an associate degree in Criminal Justice.
Dresen was hired as a part-time officer with the Fennimore Police Department in January 2004 and promoted to full-time in March 2005, coming from the Muscoda Police Department, where he was a full time officer from October 2003 to March 2005.
From there, he was promoted to police sergeant in October 2013, and in 2015 that position was reclassified as assistant chief, the position Dresen has held for the past 10 years.
Throughout his police career, Dresen has become a certified instructor in several law enforcement topics and has completed numerous supervisory training courses.
He has also volunteered with several local organizations over the last 20 years, including Fennimore Little League, Gridiron, Fennimore Youth Basketball, and Fennimore EMS.
“Fennimore is a great community with some amazing people, which is why I chose to remain here to raise my family,” Dresen stated. His family includes wife, Mary, and their twin sons, Corey and Casey.
“Chief French and I were promoted together in 2013. We have had a great working relationship and have always worked closely to improve our department,” Dresen went on to say.
“I am fortunate that I get to take over a department that is in excellent shape with some of the best law enforcement officers around in Josh Lund, Adam Fecht, Jeff Alvin, and Nate Farrey. I am excited for the opportunity to be the next police chief and look forward to working with our citizens and community organizations.”
When speaking on his relationship with retiring Fennimore Police Chief Chris French, Dresen stated, “Since Chief French announced his retirement, I have thought a great deal about the impact he has had on our department and community. I can’t put into words what he has meant to us. He has been a great co-worker, mentor, and friend to me for more than 20 years. This community is fortunate to have had his leadership and dedication, and I hope his commitment to the police department and the City of Fennimore is appreciated. I am excited for Chris to move on to his next chapter, but he will be missed around here. If you read this and see Chris around town, make sure to say thank you, because he earned that.”
Dresen, as well as Fecht’s new roles as police chief and assistant police chief, will officially begin on Jan. 1, 2026.
“We have already begun transitioning job responsibilities, and I expect the process to be very smooth. We are also working closely with Officer Adam Fecht to take over his new role of assistant chief. Adam is motivated, eager to learn, and I am confident he will excel in his new position,” Dresen stated.
Officer Fecht has almost 10 years of full-time service with the Fennimore Police Department, starting in 2016, after starting part-time with the department in 2014.
Prior to starting full-time in Fennimore, Fecht worked full-time for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Lancaster Police Department.
Fecht attended Southwest Wisconsin Technical College and the Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Law Enforcement Academy graduating in 2009. He and his wife, Emily, have three children, Jada, Jocelyn, and Jonah, and in his free time enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and attending his children’s sporting events.
“I look forward to continuing the excellent law enforcement leadership and community involvement everyone has come to expect from the Fennimore Police Department,” Fecht stated.
Like his co-officer, Fecht also had high praise for his soon to be retired chief, saying, “Chris has been an excellent leader and role model for everyone at the agency. He will be missed, but we are all grateful for the knowledge and leadership he has given us over the years. I wish him the best with his new endeavors.”
Fecht also anticipates a smooth transition into his and Dresen’s new roles.
“Chief French and Assistant Chief Dresen have been making the process of taking over my new responsibilities as easy as possible. I have no doubt the transition will be seamless,” he stated.
French, who announced he would be retiring at year’s end during August’s city council meeting, has been with the Fennimore Police Department since August 1997, and was promoted to chief in November 2013.
“Law enforcement has changed significantly in the last 30 years, and I appreciate the opportunity to help lead the department through those changes and provide quality service for the community,” French explained.
French went on to say, “I enjoy living in southwestern Wisconsin. Fennimore has been a great community to raise a family in, and I look forward to experiencing Fennimore from a non-law enforcement perspective.”
French had high praise for the two recently promoted police officers. “Walt has been a valuable member of the department’s management team and is absolutely the correct person to lead the department as police chief.”
“Adam was already a veteran officer when he started with the department in February of 2016 and has worked as a productive team member in all that we do. I am happy to see he now has the opportunity to help lead the department moving forward,” French stated.
When asked what he plans on doing in retirement, French stated, “I plan on starting a new career and I’m looking forward to what comes next.”
