A lot happens in 35 years as a cop
Police captain reminisces about long Franklin career
Returning to the Franklin Police Department for the first time since his retirement, Capt. Michael Martens eyes the desk he used to call his own. It's the first time he has seen someone else sitting in that chair.
"I miss the place. I miss the people," Martens said.
On Dec. 28, Martens retired after dedicating 35 years to the department, relinquishing that desk to newly promoted Capt. Eric Schroeder. But that desk isn't where Martens' story began.
In 1973, Martens, then 18, joined the Franklin Police Department's auxiliary program while studying police science at Milwaukee Area Technical College. The auxiliary program, still around today, allows young adults to shadow officers and learn more about the force.
When he graduated, Martens joined the department as a patrol officer, the youngest one in department history.
Learning from experience
Martens' first few years on the job brought many learning opportunities - like the time he went to buy bullets for an off-duty gun he had recently acquired. Martens recalled strolling up to the counter with confidence, and being told by the cashier he needed to be at least 21 to purchase ammunition. He quickly flashed his badge, explaining he was a police officer. The cashier, Martens remembered, looked him in the eye and said, "I don't care."
"My older brother had to buy my first box of bullets," the captain said.
While that experience was humbling, others forced Martens to face some of the uglier realities of life. In the winter of 1974, he was called to the scene of an accident. When he got there, as the only officer on the scene, he was responsible for comforting a driver trapped helplessly in the wreckage of a car twisted from the force of smashing into a median.
While the driver survived, "it was an eye-opener," Martens said. He learned how to remain calm in dire situations, but admits the shock never truly wore off.
As time progressed, so did Martens' rank. In 1987 he was promoted to corporal, and in 1993 he assumed the completely supervisory position of sergeant. From 1995 until 2003 he was a lieutenant, taking on an administrative command. Martens was named a captain in 2003.
Capt. Clark Groen looks back fondly on working with Martens. "Mike and I were hired together as patrol officers. We often went to training together early in our careers. We developed a friendship that goes back to the first days of recruit school. I value Mike as a friend. He was a great asset to this department."
Years brought changes
Martens has noticed some big changes in Franklin and its Police Department. The most obvious, he said, is the growth in population. When he began his career, Franklin had a population of 12,000 people.
"It was always nice being in a city the size of Franklin," he said. "If you got the call, it was your case."
Now, the city boasts a population of 33,500, and law enforcement requires a more cooperative effort.
To help that effort a technological update was necessary; Martens was heavily involved in that process. As captain, he specialized in technology and computers and also helped oversee the dispatch center.
"When I first started, we had one radio station that we shared with Greenfield and Greendale. You could be waiting 10 minutes to hear back on a license plate," Martens said.
The department now has three stations and each squad is equipped with a computer.
"Mike was the one who saw us into a lot of technology and guided the department to new computer systems and a communication center … lots of technology that has improved this department," Groen said. "He worked through a lot of change and troubleshooting. It wasn't easy."
Martens looks back fondly on his 35 years in the department and on the city he watched over for so long.
"It's been nice to watch the city grow and mature. It was a little more Wild West back then," he said.
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