Lake Mills welcomes new police chief
by Bonnie Kay Baldwin
Lake Mills Graphic
Sgt. Todd Thorson, who has been working for the Lake Mills Police Department for 28 years, has been hired by the City to succeed Chief Dave Thomas, who retired May 14.
As a 1985 Garner graduate, Thorson attended NIACC and received a two-year degree in Law Enforcement.
“I was working part-time for the Forest City Police Dept. and at Winnebago (Industries). I was a welder on the line,” said Thorson. “After me and Jill got married in 1989, (she worked at Winnebago also, in the front office), I was a reserve for Forest City Police. It just happened, that I got laid off from Winnebago, and back then, Doug Book (Forest City Police Chief), bless his heart, knew I had a two-year degree. In Iowa, you have to be hired by somebody in order to go to the academy, so he sponsored me.”
Thorson went to the Academy in ‘90, and when he got done with the Academy, he went back to the FCPD to work part-time. One day, he said that LMPD Chief George Reikens and Dave Thomas came down to visit him when he was back to work at Winnebago, and asked him if he wanted a job in Lake Mills.
“I said, yes, and I turned in my two-week notice at Winnebago that day.
I had applied in Lake Mills before, so they had me on file. I was hired in ‘91 and have been here ever since.”
“I’m really looking forward to being Chief and I love Lake Mills. It’s going to be hard to replace Dave. He was a special guy. I worked with Dave for 28 years. Other officers are Matt Levine, Jon Wacha, and Jeff Christensen. Hopefully we will have a new hire here in the near future.”
The Thorsons have two children; Makenzie, 22, and Dalton, 16. Both have been involved in sports—Makenzie ran track for four years at Wartburg College, and Dalton is involved in football, track, wrestling and baseball at Lake Mills High School. The family loves to travel, and Todd and Jill love motorcycle riding.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to be Chief of Police. I started as reserve, then part-time, full-time, sergeant, and now, chief. It’s just the next thing.”
