Hiller bids farewell to OPD, but not the community
Former Owatonna Police Chief Keith Hiller visits with guests during his retirement party at the Owatonna Arts Center last week. He stepped down after leading the department since 2010; he and his wife Sherry plan to remain in the area. Staff photo by Kay Fate
Even on his last day of work, Owatonna Police Chief Keith Hiller was still the face of the department, talking and laughing with members of the community.
But this time, it was at his retirement party, held June 30 at the Owatonna Arts Center.
Hiller has spent the last 12 years as the top cop in his hometown. His legacy, he said, is “super easy to answer: talent acquisition, the culmination of professional staff in a very difficult recruiting environment.”
Part of that talent is his successor, Capt. Jeff Mundale, who is now Chief Jeff Mundale.
Hiller promoted him to captain not long after taking over as chief in 2010.
Mundale has been with OPD since 1995.
“I think Chief Mundale will take the department to the next level,” Hiller said. “There’s no doubt in my mind. He’s a very special man, and he loves this community. He’s got the buy-in of all the staff, and he’s going to do wonders.”
Hiller spent much of his time in Owatonna building a department “that is well positioned to transition and adapt as needed in the future,” using succession planning.
“I think it’s so important to have staff that align with the culture of the community, because that’s the people that we serve,” he said. Sometimes, “individuals in my position (can) lose sight of what the community expectations are and start doing what they want to do instead of what the community expects.
“The community knows quite well what they want,” Hiller said, “and it’s really important that policing reflects that.”
His wife Sherry also plans to retire soon, but Hiller said they’re not going anywhere – not permanently, anyway.
“We’re going to do a bunch of traveling,” he said, “then we’re hoping to build a house in the area.”