Sheriff’s office captain among finalists for Port chief job

The Port Washington Police and Fire Commission on Monday whittled the field of candidates to become the city’s police chief to three finalists — including a captain with the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office.

Chad E. Eibs, who lives in Port, is the operations captain with the sheriff’s department, Commission Chairman Jim Biever said.

Eibs has been with the sheriff’s office for 20 years, he said.

Biever said the other finalists are:

Joel Kuszynski, a captain of patrol with the Sheboygan Police Department, who lives in Plymouth.

Kuszynski has 13 years of law enforcement experience, all with the Sheboygan department.

Carl G. Waterstreet, a Sturgeon Bay resident, is the professional standards captain with the Door County Sheriff’s Office.

Waterstreet has 26 years of law enforcement experience, the last five years with the Door County Sheriff’s Department.

Biever said the commission will hold a second round of interviews with the finalists, but no date has been set.

Last week, the commission interviewed six people for the chief’s position during a closed session meeting.

“I think they’re all good candidates, at least on paper,” he said prior to the interviews.

Biever said at the time that some of the candidates have experience as a chief while others have command experience, something required by the commission.

One of the candidates, he added, was from within the department.

The goal, he said, is to have a new chief in place by Jan. 1.

The new chief will replace Kevin Hingiss, who had led the department since 2012 and in mid-May abruptly announced he was retiring on June 15 to take a job in the private sector.

Hingiss had been with the department for 42 years, starting as a patrol officer in 1984 and steadily rising through the ranks.

Since Hingiss retired, the department has been led by Captain Craig Czarnecki, who was named interim chief by the commission in June. 

Czarnecki has been with the department since 1991 and was promoted to captain by Hingiss in 2020, making him second in command.