Bill Oliver has spent 26 years protecting the Whitewater community
By Ryan Spoehr
Staff writer
In his 26 years at the Whitewater Police Department, officer Bill Oliver has helped keep the streets of the city safe and built relationships with community members along the way.
However, Oliver is heading into retirement in the coming days after his long tenure with the department.
“It has been really rewarding,” Oliver said.
Oliver didn’t begin his professional life in law enforcement. He went to college for education and also worked at a residential treatment center for about seven years.
“I would end up having contact with law enforcement, and I was impressed with that. So, I decided to head into this field,” Oliver said. “Whitewater was the first place and it has always felt like home here.”
Oliver got into law enforcement at the age of 29. Previously, he had worked in the food and beverage industry and at Disneyland.
Oliver’s entire law enforcement career has been as a Whitewater Police officer. When he joined the department, it was a bit of a homecoming for him. He had lived in Whitewater between the ages of one and five.
“I call myself a hometown boy. My dad was the minister at First English Church,” Oliver said.
Since becoming a police officer in Whitewater, Oliver said he has built relationships in the community that have continued throughout the years. He has also built a career he has enjoyed for more than two decades.
“It’s always a standard answer, but it rings true. I thought I’d be in a position to help people. Sometimes, helping people is holding them accountable, and at the same time working with them to try to come up with solutions to move forward,” Oliver said. “I also saw it as a job that no day will be the same; every day will be a new experience.
After returning to Whitewater to be in law enforcement, he said he was in for a surprise at the beginning of his career.
“It was really shocking after growing up in Stevens Point and going to school at UW-Eau Claire, communities that were larger than Whitewater. I didn’t realize all that occurred in the city after becoming a police officer that I did as a private citizen. So, that was eye-opening.”
Also surprising to Oliver were the types of cases that occur in Whitewater, which every community likely faces, he said.
“I think all cities deal with domestics, alcohol-related problems, accidents, the number of people who find themselves in distress and crime – everything from vandalism to theft to burglary,” Oliver said.
He remembers trying to learn the 10-code and trying to learn the city, as well as trying to understand the spirit and the letter of the law.
Over the years, he said he has seen many changes, particularly with technology.
“When I started, it was a regular typewriter where we actually put a card in for correction tape. If you really goofed up a paragraph, you’d go to the next paragraph and type, ‘Addendum: Disregard above paragraph.’ But, everything was relative to what you knew. I thought they were pretty nice typewriters,” he said.
One part of the technological change has been the opportunity to visually document incidents while out in the field when necessary. That was made possible with the introduction of body cameras.
During his shifts, Oliver has worn a headset camera in recent years, and depending on situations that may warrant it being switched on according to policy, it can be activated.
“I’ll be honest. At first, I was a little skeptical, you know, with Big Brother and all of that, but if you told me I had to take one piece of equipment out with me, I would tell you my video; it’s that important,” Oliver said. “I think it changes a person’s demeanor. It’s obvious that it’s a camera on my head. It’s accountability for the law enforcement; it’s accountability for the person who might launch a complaint out there that might not be as accurate as they think.”
Oliver said the part of the job he’ll look back on the most fondly will be the contacts he has made with people during his tenure.
“As I draw near the end of career here, not every house or business, but for a heck of a lot of them, it’s triggering a memory from when I had contact with them whether it was five years ago or 15 years ago or 20-some years ago, and most of my contacts have been really positive,” he said.
“Of course, with law enforcement, you can go from good to bad in a second from a child who is choking to a bad accident to a domestic. It happens at a drop of a dime and there could be multiple plays at one time. You have to be prepared for that and so that’s part of it. So, if you go into law enforcement, for me, I enjoy my job but at the end of my shift, I’m done. It’s important to leave the job at the job and have separate things going on elsewhere,” he added.
Even though there have been many changes the past 26 years, much has stayed the same, particularly regarding human interaction, he said.
“That’s where you have to get fulfillment out of it and that’s what leads to a long career,” Oliver said.
Oliver is someone who has enhanced the careers of others at the Police Department, including School Resource Officer Jacob Hintz.
“Any of the days we’re working the same shift, and whenever I need help at the high school, Bill is always there to help. He likes to visit the high school whenever he can,” Hintz said.
Hintz has worked with Oliver for almost five years.
“Bill has always been one of those officers who comes to work very happy and energetic. He is a very fun guy to work with. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him lose his temper or raise his voice. He’s always a joy to work with,” Hintz said.
Other officials in the city, including Whitewater Assistant Fire Chief Mike Higgins, also noted Oliver’s helpfulness. Higgins has worked with Oliver since the beginning of Oliver’s career, and has had positive experiences throughout their tenures. They have worked together on EMS and other calls in the community.
Higgins said Oliver is always there to help in times of need at the job.
“It’s always refreshing to have someone there to help out. With Bill always positive, it makes you feel better and helps you get your job done. He is always like, ‘Is there something I can do to help?’ Bill will do just about anything we ask him to do,” Higgins said.
Oliver’s last day is on Jan. 4.
