The Eureka Police Department has enjoyed consistent leadership in its more than six decades of existence.
There have only been three police chiefs since the department was established in 1958, starting with Charles Branson. Robert Maness succeeded Branson in 1985, and the current chief, Michael Wiegand, took over the role in 1987.
“You can hardly find that anywhere in the country,” said Michael Werges, assistant police chief and captain. “I think that’s really a neat thing because it shows the stability of the area and of the department.”
While there has been little change at the top of the department’s leadership, plenty of things have changed for the agency.
The city’s population has ballooned from 1,134 people in 1960 to its current count of 12,154, according to U.S. Census data. Also, the opening of what’s now called Six Flags St. Louis in 1971 has attracted countless visitors to Eureka.
Wiegand, who started working for the Eureka Police in 1976, said the department has continuously adapted to changing demographics, new technologies and techniques, while also maintaining a strong connection with the city’s residents.
“This is a very unique community,” Wiegand said. “(After living in Eureka) for many years, you kind of know what (the community) wants. They want a quality way of life and a certain lifestyle they’d like to keep. And we’re here to make sure that happens.”
Werges said Eureka Police will not hold an event to mark its milestone. However, the department did have commemorative coins made, and officers are handing those out at community events and while on patrol.
Residents also may request a free coin at the Police Station, 120 City Hall Drive.
Eureka Police timeline
Wiegand and Werges reflected on some major moments in the department’s 65-year history.
1958: The city establishes the police department and city marshal position, which is an elected position. However, the police chief is hired by the city. Charles Branson is appointed as the first city marshal and police chief on June 1.
1971: Six Flags Over Mid-America opens on June 5, significantly broadening the responsibilities of Eureka Police. The amusement park has a capacity of 20,000 people.
1982: Times Beach, two miles east of Eureka, is evacuated after the Environmental Protection Agency found an extremely high level of dioxin was used to treat the town’s dirt roads. The town was wiped off the map after massive flooding spread the dioxin even further. Wiegand said Eureka Police performed crowd control during protests following the EPA’s decision to incinerate the contaminated area.
1982: The current Police Station is built. Wiegand said the station was designed for one police chief, eight officers and two court clerks, and when it was first built was also used by the Times Beach Police. Eureka now has 28 officers.
1985: Branson retires after 27 years as chief. Robert Maness, the assistant chief of police since 1966, is named to the top position.
1987: Wiegand takes over as chief. He has held the position for 36 years and has announced he will not seek re-election as city marshal in 2025.
Police Chief Michael Wiegand in 1992.
1987: Days after Wiegand became chief, 16-year-old Kellie Ann Klein is kidnapped from a local movie theater in April when a man from Tennessee robbed the theater. The search for the girl, which included neighboring police departments and canine units, appears in national news coverage. Klein was able to escape about a week after being abducted and was found in Salem, Ill., about 103 miles away from Eureka.
1992: The Eureka Police Canine Unit forms. The first police officer-and-dog duo were Mike McColl and Bruno. Werges helped train two German shepherd service dogs, Riki and Reno, for the department starting in 2003. Werges said the dogs won numerous awards, including from the German Shepherd Dog Club of St. Louis and the United States Police Canine Association.
Bruno, the first canine employed by the Eureka Police Department, in 1994.
1998: The bicycle patrol unit starts. Werges said the department owns two mountain bikes that are used to traverse parks and trails. He said the bicycle patrol is employed during city events such as Eureka Days, and at Six Flags.
2007: Eureka Police holds its first canine training workshop for officers across the state. Werges said the department has held 10 state workshops and three national workshops.
2009: Eureka Police becomes the first agency in St. Louis County to hold a drug take-back day and place a drug depository in its station. Wiegand said at the time, the department needed permission from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to accept narcotics from the public.
2016: Boy Scout Drew Walters from Troop 322 raises money from local businesses for a monument to honor Eureka’s first responders. The bronze plaque is on display outside of City Hall.
2017: Downtown Eureka is inundated by extreme flooding, only two years after the 2015 flood. Eureka Police helps organize a volunteer effort of more than 1,000 people to help. Werges said volunteers hand-filled sandbags to protect the downtown area.
Department’s future
Werges said two more officers are expected to be hired soon, increasing the force to 30.
He also said as new faces come in, it will be important for veteran officers to educate the new officers about the department’s history.
“When we started, we had eight officers including (Wiegand),” Werges said. “If the chief doesn’t pass along the history of the department to me, and I don’t pass it on to the next guy, it just dies.”
The city also is expected to have a new police chief in two years. Wiegand said he plans to retire in 2025, and Werges will likely take over as Eureka’s fourth chief.
“Mike is just a good person in general,” Wiegand said. “He’s always taken the lead on everything I’ve asked him to do.”
Officers are expected to operate out of a new Police Station soon.
Construction is slated to begin for the Michael A. Wiegand Justice Center this fall and will house a new City Hall, the Municipal Court and Police Station. The new building will be funded by revenue from a half-cent sales tax, called Proposition E, that voters approved in April 2018.
Archimages, a Kirkwood-based architecture firm, released initial drawings for the building earlier this year. The building is inspired by Police Stations in Wentzville, Creve Coeur and Berkeley, according to the firm’s documents.
Werges said the Eureka community has been supportive of the new Police Station, which he said is not surprising considering the department’s historically strong relationship with residents and business owners.
“This is a great area to raise a family and run a business, and we try to mirror that as a police department,” he said.