CAPTAIN OF PATROL
Captain Kurt Zempel has been with the Sheboygan Police Department since 2003 and is currently the captain of the patrol division. His previous assignment was as the lieutenant and shift commander on third shift patrol, a position he held for more than three years. Prior to this assignment, he was the commander of the Sheboygan County Multijurisdictional Enforcement Group, the county’s drug unit, for more than two years, and also spent three years as a sergeant and field supervisor for second shift patrol. He served as committee chair of the department’s Law Enforcement Explorer Post, supervised the crash and crime scene reconstruction team, and is an instructor for Fair and Impartial Policing and member of the Honor Guard. He was co-commander of the Emergency Response Team (SWAT) for four years.
Prior to his promotion to sergeant, Kurt spent three years as a general-assignment detective. He also was assigned to the Sheboygan Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit, a specialized investigative, interdiction and intelligence-gathering unit focused on street-level crime, for more than two years.
In 2017, Kurt was selected as an instructor in the Leadership in Police OrganizationsSM curriculum by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, a three-week leadership course developed by the IACP, and instructs law enforcement leaders from agencies around the state.
Kurt received a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in Criminal Justice Management from Concordia University – Wisconsin in 2003. He obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh in 2013, receiving the Steven Hintz MPA award which recognizes academic excellence and community involvement among MPA graduate students. His graduate field project, “Putting Police in the Box: The Effectiveness of Data-Driven Law Enforcement”, was nominated for the UW-Oshkosh Distinguished Masters Research Award in 2013. He was class president of the 133rd Administrative Officer’s Course at the Southern Police Institute, University of Louisville, where he received the Dr. William Walsh Director’s Award for academic achievement.
Kurt lives in his hometown of Sheboygan with his wife and has two adult sons, and was proud to be their Scoutmaster and help them both earn their Eagle Scout rank. He is a lifelong musician, performing in various capacities on piano, voice and trumpet, and completed his first Ironman triathlon in 2018.
CAPTAIN OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
Captain James A. Veeser has been a member of the Sheboygan Police Department since February, 1992. Prior to his employment with the Sheboygan Police Department, he was a Deputy Sheriff with the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department. Veeser acquired his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1989. In May, 2000, he obtained his Masters of Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with an emphasis in Local Government.
Veeser, as a Patrol Officer, was a member of the Emergency Response Team, Gang Suppression Unit, a Field Training Officer, and a Bike Patrol officer. In 1996, he was assigned to the Sheboygan County MEG Unit as a Narcotics Investigator. In 2000, Veeser was promoted to Sergeant of Patrol and served on second and third shift. In 2002, Veeser was promoted to Lieutenant of Patrol and served as direct supervisor of the Sheboygan Police K-9 Unit while establishing the Sheboygan Police Street Crimes Unit.
In 2008, Veeser was promoted to Captain of the Criminal Investigation Division. The position directs the Detectives Division, School Resource Officers, Evidence/Property Unit along with overseeing supervision of the Sheboygan County MEG Unit. The Division primarily handled homicide, robbery, burglary, sexual assaults, human trafficking, arson, narcotic investigations and financial crimes. While in this position, Captain Veeser worked closely with community stakeholders to establish the Sheboygan County Service Providers. This group was highly involved and recognized in directing attention to the prescription drug and heroin issue within Sheboygan County. The efforts led to educating many members of Sheboygan County along with initiating change on how the community could approach the addiction problem.
In 2010, Captain Veeser attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He is a graduate of NA Class 242 which is accredited through the University of Virginia.
In September 2014, Captain Veeser was placed in charge of the Patrol Division. He supervised police operations provided by uniformed officers and special units. During this assignment, Veeser updated needs associated with the Emergency Response Team, Honor Guard, and K-9 Unit while encouraging mentorship of new officers. The focus of the Patrol Division continued to be establishing a positive connection to the community while providing top-notch police services.
In February 2021, Captain Veeser was re-assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division. The Division continues to handle complex investigations which include forever evolving technology and financial crimes. In addition, valuable partnerships continue with the Community Advocacy Center (CAC) which assists with crimes involving children, as well as, the Sexual Awareness Response Team (SART) which ensures sexual assault victims are provided needed resources.
Veeser participates in several community initiatives; WIRCO, Healthy Sheboygan County, and serves as Vice-President for the FBI National Academy – Wisconsin Chapter.
He lives in Sheboygan with his wife and three daughters and serves as an Executive Board member of Lakeshore United FC (youth soccer club).
OFFICE SUPERVISOR
Cassandra Wohlgemuth graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and holds a BA in Political Science. She joined the Sheboygan Police Department as a telecommunicator on March 5, 2005. In October of 2009, Cassandra was promoted to a position in Court Services and enjoyed working as a liaison between the court systems and the department for several years. In February of 2017, she was awarded the newly created position of Digital Evidence Manager. Cassandra worked hard to establish many of the procedures for managing digital records and sharing digital evidence with the court systems. On December 14, 2020, Cassandra was promoted to the position of Office Supervisor, supervising our Information Services Division which consists of 12 employees.
Cassandra completed the Leadership in Police Organizations training program in May of 2015 and earned an Emerging Leadership Certification at CVMIC (Cities and Villages Mutual Insurance Company) in July of 2019.
Cassandra is married to her husband, Dietmar, and has three children.
