By Jessica La Plante
News-Chronicle
When Rick Cornelius talks about his promotion to chief of the Oneida Nation's police force, he beams with the pride of a man who's just inherited his family business.
Although Cornelius is not related to his predecessor, Jim Danforth, he nevertheless regards the department's founder and first chief as a father figure.
Last week, the Oneida Nation announced Cornelius would succeed Danforth as head of the department.
Cornelius said he's got big shoes to fill by taking over for the retired Danforth, a man who nurtured the agency from its infancy to a team of 22 full-time officers. Cornelius said he hopes to increase the agency's impact while preserving its community-oriented philosophy.
"I'm a firm believer in having the officers visible," he said. "Whether it's coaching a Little League team or whatever they want to do, I want them interacting with the community."
He said many people are not aware the tribe can handle the same types of calls as neighboring police agencies.
"I think a lot of times we may get overlooked," he said. "A big goal of mine would be to have better public relations with the community."
Not only is the tribe's police force self-sufficient, it frequently assists other agencies with investigations, he said. For example, the agency's canine unit helps out with search operations in Green Bay or Brown County.
An example of that spirit of cooperation is the July 22 crash that killed two Hobart/Lawrence police officers. Oneida officers were the first on the scene, Cornelius said.
To meet the needs of the reservation, Cornelius said he hopes to increase the number of officers employed by the agency.
"I would like to see the department expand as a whole, with our biggest focus on patrol," he said. "They're the first-line officers who do the work of the police."
As for the other units, the investigations division could use an extra officer or two, he said.
"We do a lot of investigating through the casino of white-collar crime and sexual assaults throughout the community as a whole," he said. "Those are time consuming and can be pretty lengthy."
By broadening community awareness of the tribe's police force, Cornelius hopes to win his agency the financial support it needs to grow by receiving grants or more money from the tribe.
"If people can see the need through different evaluations like community surveys, or if there's an increase in calls and a need for more officers, that would be one way (to expand)," he said.
In the meantime, Cornelius said he will look at creative ways of stretching the department's resources, such as increasing its partnerships with neighboring agencies.
He plans to put an emphasis on the department's rapport with the citizens it serves, placing an emphasis on youth. One way to do that is to expand the department's Youth Explorer program, which introduces teenagers to law enforcement careers by having students ride along in patrol cars.
"We just got a three-year grant for a community resource officer and I could see that officer working with youth," Cornelius said. "If we have a youth who we've known since 15 years old, and they have an interest in law enforcement, then we'll do all we can to help them get through school."
Cornelius' career was forged through a mentorship program. As a teenager in Kaukauna, he had the opportunity to ride awith the city's police officers.
The experience sparked a lifelong interest in law enforcement, he said.
After graduating from Fox Valley Technical College with a degree in police science, Cornelius joined the newly formed Oneida Police Department in 1992. Since that time, he has worked for the agency in various positions, serving as a DARE officer, detective and police sergeant, to name a few.
Cornelius and his wife, Bridget, live in Green Bay with their two children, Payton and Presley.
Door
County news 
