Served 41 years with Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office
By Robert Cloud
After 41 years with the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office, Al Kraeger is stepping down.
His last day as chief deputy was Saturday, Aug. 31.
“Probably my freshman year I knew I wanted to be in law enforcement,” Kraeger said.
Kraeger joined the Waupaca County Reserve Unit under Sheriff Larry Schmies in 1972, right after graduating from Marion High School.
In January 1978, he was hired as a corrections officer in Shawano County.
In April 1978, he worked as a patrol officer with the Port Washington Police Department, “until I received a call from past county board member James Flink, offering me my dream job with the Waupaca County Highway Patrol.”
Kraeger started with Waupaca County, working under Capt. Jack Penney, on Aug. 1, 1978.
While working as a patrol officer, Kraeger studied law enforcement at Fox Valley Technical College.
In 1983, Sheriff Bill Mork merged the highway patrol with the sheriff’s office.
Kraeger worked as a patrol deputy until 1991, when he was named a detective sergeant.
“As a detective sergeant, I worked on many cases which included … a double homicide, as well as two additional homicides, the train derailment in Weyauwega and the abduction and homicide of Cora Jones,” Kraeger said. “Those cases will stay with me forever, as well as other large cases too many to mention which helped mold me into the person I am today.”
Promotion to chief deputy
In 1996, Sheriff James Waid promoted Kraeger to the position of chief deputy.
As elections resulted in new sheriffs – Steve Liebe, Brad Hardel and Tim Wilz – Kraeger remained in the department’s No. 2 position for 23 years.
“My biggest joy was helping people through their hard times,” Kraeger said. “I made a lot of bad news notifications through my career and it was never easy. When I left them, I always hoped I left them with a little hope.”
During his career, Kraeger’s professional training included emergency medical technician, special weapons and tactics (SWAT), critical incident stress management, asset forfeiture, terrorism awareness and incident response to terrorist bombings.
He has also been involved in seven professional organizations, including the Mid States Organized Crime Information Center for 18 years, including nine years on the executive board.
When asked about his future plans, Kraeger listed his six grandchildren, his camper, pontoon boat and Mustang convertible.
“I don’t plan to continue working,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy the rest of my life and my retirement. I’m going to spend as much time with family as I can because of all the time this job took me away from family.”
Kraeger said he appreciated the trust and confidence he had from the county supervisors and area citizens that helped him have a great career.
“Forty-one years went fast and I enjoyed every minute of it,” Kraeger said. “There were highs and lows, but I weathered them all.”