Full Notification

The Rotary Club of Green Bay and the Green Bay Police Department are proud to announce the Green Bay Police Department’s Head Mechanic, Dean Simon has been nominated to receive the Rotary’s “Community Service Award.” The community service award recognizes great work by people in our community that is making a difference, helping others, and working for positive change in our community. This award symbolizes the Rotary’s vision of “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create a lasting change-across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Dean has been a member of the Green Bay “team” of police mechanics for nearly 30 years. Through hard work and dedication, Dean has risen to the rank of “Head Mechanic” which is a vital role within the Green Police Department. Dean consistently sets the bar high for his mechanics and is essentially the “glue” that holds everything together. Everything starts and sometimes ends with Dean! Every officer of the department could not function if it was not for Dean’s expertise in managing the fleet. He oversees 43 marked squad cars, 39 unmarked squads, and 31 specialty vehicles like the SWAT vehicle, Dive Truck, Zodiac Boats, and multi-terrain vehicles. If it was not for Dean’s organizational, multi-tasking, and overall management of the fleet, officers’ would not have the cars and equipment to do their jobs.

Dean consistently seeks out new and innovative ways to keep the GBPD fleet running smoothly and efficiently, while still being cost effective. Managing such a large fleet is not an easy task. Dean is constantly building new squads, turning over old squads to new squads, and repairing them when they break. A squad car has the potential of running 24 hours a day. With any piece of equipment that runs that long, it is bound to need repair and upkeep. On a daily basis, Dean can be seen climbing in an out of car to do a repair, leaning over the hood wrenching on an engine, or working to assemble a piece of equipment that is one of the countless accessories on the car.

Dean’s work is endless, and some of his work cannot wait for the next business day. There are times, where Dean has responded in the middle of the night to get a piece of equipment working for officers or put chains on tires when there is snow storm. Being the department mechanic is not an 8-4 type job. His role is vital to the day to day operations. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Dean faces and manages an extreme workload to help the officers do their job. Again, all the equipment starts and ends (when it needs to be repaired) with Dean.

Dean requires little to no supervision and is our leader when it comes to managing the fleet. His service to the city, officers, and to the community is evident daily. He is a valued employee with the knowledge base that one could desire. “He is the mechanic you would want in your garage,” said Operations Lieutenant Brad Strouf. “His knowledge, skills and abilities are demonstrated daily to keep this fleet operational,” said Strouf.

On behalf of the Rotary Club of Green Bay and the Green Bay Police Department, we commend Head Mechanic Dean Simon for his service, dedication, and tireless work ethic to continue to make the city of Green Bay a safe an enjoyable place to stay.

“Congratulations Dean, you are well deserving of this award,” said Police Chief Andrew Smith.” You are making a difference in our community and helping each member of this department, you truly are an asset to this department,” said Smith.

Media is welcome to attend the event. The award presentation will be at approximately 12:15-12:30 PM at the KI Convention Center.