MARSHFIELD, WI (OnFocus) – Jacob Maxson started his first shift with Marshfield Police Department on September 4, 2018. Five years later, his passion for the job has only increased.
A Tomahawk native who joined the department with former experience as a Wausau Emergency Police volunteer and Dispatcher/CSO for the Tomahawk Police Department, his passion for police work was inspired by a former football coach who was a detective. (Read more about that here!)
Since joining Marshfield Police Department, Maxson has been trained as a crisis negotiator and field trainer – both roles something he enjoys. He also is an instructor in vehicle contact and field sobriety tests. In 2021, he was named Officer Of The Year.
“I’ve been learning a lot and I think I’m far more experienced,” he said of his first five years, adding that he’s enjoyed meeting many different people, working with the K9 units, and assisting on some interesting cases.
One such case was the famous “Dumpster Puppy” incident, in which Maxson was responsible for obtaining a confession from the criminal. He also ended up adopting one of the puppies, Muenster/Oscar.
“Assisting [Ordinance Officer] Bob Larsen with that was really important to me because I ended up getting Oscar,” he said. “I’m a big dog person. Any traffic stop where I get to utilize the K9 – I really enjoy that. I’d like to be a K9 officer at some point. Or maybe detective bureau.”
A trained Crisis Negotiator on the department’s Special Response Team, Maxson enjoys de-escalating calls and working to keep everyone involved safe.
“The training was a good learning experience. It was humbling,” he said. “I treat the person like my family member and how would I want them treated.”
As a field trainer, Maxson works with each new hire, teaching them the ins and outs of the job.
“I really enjoy training each one of the new guys and watching them develop because I started there,” he said. “‘Have fun and be ethical’ is what I tell them. ‘Go out there and enjoy the job.’ I’ll always support them if they are making the right ethical decision. Everything is just easier if you’re telling the truth and doing a good job. Work hard and have fun.”
Maxson strives to take pieces of advice from every person he’s learned from and apply it to his job, and then pass that advice onto any new hires.
“I don’t forget where I came from,” he said. “My past at Tomahawk made me a good cop.”
Though there were difficult times in the last five years, Maxson is excited about the future of the department.
“Policing through COVID was difficult. Though the last 5 years was hard with COVID and other stuff going on, the guys that I work with are not going to let that slow us down,” he said, referencing other 2018 hires including Mack Scheppler, Kelly Carolfi, and Jesse Tlachac, and adding how much he enjoys the department members, too.
“We try to be positive. They’re all family to me and they share a lot of the same hobbies. We have a great shift right now. It’s been a wild five years. A lot of ups, downs, but I’m glad everything worked out the way it did. Within 5 years I’ve had very few days where I’ve woken up and thought, ‘I don’t want to be here.'”
“I’m super optimistic about the future,” he added. “Jody [Geurink, Chief] was my lieutenant and when he got hired on to be Chief I knew he was going to do good things. I trust Jody to bring in good guys. The guys we’re bringing in are super bright, doing the job for good reasons.”
Maxson is grateful that even during the tough time, the community supported the department.
“We’re really working hard to be the best department we can be. The community can be excited for the future of the police department and the new hires that we have. The people in leadership roles now are top-notch,” he said. “We may have had a rough patch as a department, but that doesn’t define our future. I’m really excited to see where the next 10-15 years takes us.”
Congratulations, Officer Maxson!
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Author: Breanna Butler
Breanna Butler is an award-winning multimedia producer born and raised in Central Wisconsin. She enjoys exploring and writing about the community. She lives in Marshfield with her husband and furry family.
