Wayland police chief retires after nearly 20 years

After nearly 20 years in the community, Wayland’s police chief is passing on the torch.

Ron Roth, who has been police chief and the sole officer in Wayland since 2002, is retiring, ending a 42-year career in law enforcement. Dustin Stuelke has come on as the new police chief for the department.

Roth, who will soon be 65, said meeting people was his favorite part of the job. With less than 1,000 residents, the fact that Wayland has its own one-man police department is unique, he said.

“It was really a unique experience meeting all the people,” he said. “Living in a small community, you get to know just about everybody.”

Roth started his law enforcement career in East Dubuque, Illinois, and he spent time as an officer with the United Nations.

Stuelke, 33, the new police chief, has spent his first few days on the job following that example, getting to know people in the community, and he says that will be a pillar of how he approaches his job going forward.

He has a background in military policing, spending 12 years in the Army working border enforcement in Afghanistan and other jobs.

In civilian life, Stuelke has worked as a security guard for various companies, most recently in Omaha, Nebraska, at Nebraska Furniture Mart and Oriental Trading Company. He has bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and criminal investigation.

Stuelke said he plans to be a well-known figure in Wayland, stopping by local businesses, sporting events and fundraisers to show his support for the community.

“I’m not going to sit in my patrol car and just catch speeders all day,” he said, “I’ll get out and walk the community, I’ll go stop by the businesses and talk to them.”

The job is a homecoming for Stuelke, who spent some of his childhood in Wayland. While he was born in California, his parents are from Wayland, and the family moved back to the town when he was 3 years old. They spent some years here, moving to Riverside when he was around 10.

He said many people in town remember him and are excited to see him come back in the new position.

“Being back in my hometown and a lot of them just remembering who I am, it makes the job easier, makes it more relaxing,” he said. “ … They all have my back just like I have theirs.”

Roth is staying on until July 26 to help Stuelke get started in the position.

Roth said he’s spending his last days on the job training Stuelke and showing him the ropes, taking him through patrolling, traffic stops and other duties.

“I’ve worked with him just about every day, and I think he’s going to do a great job,” Roth said.

In his retirement, Roth said he plans to travel with his wife, spending several months out of the year traveling.

“We bought a newer motor home, and we’re going to put it to use,” he said.