Keller to step down after 42 years with PWPD

Port Washington Police Captain Mike Keller will officially retire on Sept. 17.

Keller, whose last day on the job will be June 27, is the department’s senior officer, having served since June 14, 1977.

Mayor Marty Becker on Tuesday lauded Keller, thanking him for his 42 years of service to the city.

“I know his love for the city is true,” Becker said. “It’s a city he loves and he’s dedicated his service to.”

In a personal note, Becker recalled Dec. 7, 1983, when his pregnant wife went into labor at their home and they didn’t make it to the hospital. After calling his wife’s doctor, his next call was to the police department. 

Becker said his daughter was born by the time Keller arrived, and he took charge of the scene, calming the shocked parents.

“Mike is my daughter’s godfather,” Becker said.

Keller’s letter of resignation was presented to the Police and Fire Commission on May 20.

“I have been unbelievably blessed, fortunate, proud and honored to have had the opportunity to serve the city and community into which I was born and where I grew up,” Keller wrote.

He became interested in law enforcement in 1973, when he became a volunteer auxiliary officer with the department.

“It has been a remarkable experience,” Keller wrote. “A career filled with opportunities, lessons, experiences, partnerships and relationships I will forever treasure.”

Keller was promoted to sergeant on Dec. 1, 1982, and captain on Sept. 13, 1993.

He served as acting police chief from Sept. 20, 2004, until Aug. 29, 2005, and was named captain of administration on Jan. 1, 2012.

“He’ll be missed, no doubt about it,” Police and Fire Commission Chairman Rick Nelson said. “He was extremely well respected in the community. He was very good with technology and computers.”

Keller was the driving force behind the department’s move to using propane to fuel its squad cars, which Nelson called a “real nice money saver.”

He was an effective spokesman for the department and did much of the work on the department’s accreditation efforts, Nelson said.

“Whenever you gave him an assignment, you knew it would get done and he would check every fact and figure,” Nelson said. “He’s thorough and precise.”

Keller said in his letter that he decided it was time to retire, in part, after pondering a quote attributed to Confucius — “We all have two lives. The second one begins when we realize we only have one.”

“That quote really resonated with me,” he wrote. “As a result, it became clear to me that having served the community for more than four decades as a law enforcement professional, it’s now time to begin my second life; to spend more time with family and friends, to explore new opportunities and to see where life takes me.”