There was a Hastings City Council meeting on March 16, 2026.
The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a proclamation recognizing Police Chief Dave Wilske’s service and declaring March 31, 2026, David D. Wilske Day in the City of Hastings, Minnesota.
After the reading of the proclamation, Police Chief Wilske took to the podium to share a few words with the council about his time with the department and serving the community.
“Mayor and city council members. I just want to thank you for the support over the years, not only for me but for the entire police department. This isn’t really about me; it’s about your police department. These are the best men and women that I’ve ever worked with in my career and that I have ever seen in the profession of law enforcement. You know, law enforcement—it’s an interesting career. I want to thank my son, Jack. How old are you? 24 now, 24 years he’s been putting up with me, missing baseball games, missing downhill ski meets, leaving on weekends, leaving dinner at the drop of a hat. For my wife, Kate, as well as my daughter, Natalie, just missing weekends. Phone going off at three in the morning. I’m not going to miss that, but I’m going to miss the camaraderie. I’m going to miss the officers. I’m going to miss working with you. I’m going to miss this community because it is a great community. They support us just like you do. I know that will continue. I’d like to… We have some officers right here. Thank you, gentlemen. Also, Commander Kyle Linscheid, who we’re going to be talking about later today. I’d like to thank him as well. It takes a team, really, to run a police department. It’s not just one person, but thank you again. It’s greatly appreciated.”
Mayor Fasbender expressed her gratitude to Police Chief Wilske.
“Chief Wilske, I’ll say one thing: I’m so proud that we were the city that made you a chief.”
There was an approval of minutes, and all consent agenda items were approved.
During the public safety portion of the meeting, city administrator Dan Wietecha presented his recommendation for Kyle Linscheid as police chief. Wietecha explained that the city charter requires council approval for police chief appointments, and the internal interview process led to Commander Kyle Linscheid based on his experience and community care.
“In the end, my recommendation is Kyle Linscheid, and it’s based on a number of things. One, his experience. He has been with the Hastings Police Department his entire career, since 2008, the last several years in the commander position, which oversees the patrol side of the department, very much on the street, and that key experience is necessary. I also think that he cares for our community. That’s important for the department. It’s important for Hastings. When interviewing him, [Kyle] commented about the lives that he has changed, and that’s different than putting away bad guys. That’s part of the job, but really a matter of having an impact on the community. And I know earlier in his career, he had served as the school resource officer. He still maintains contact with some of those students, now adults, years later; it speaks volumes.”
The Hastings City Council supported the recommendation and approved Commander Kyle Linscheid as the next Hastings Police Chief, effective April 1, 2026.
The next Hastings City Council meeting will be Monday, April 6, 2026.
KDWA will have more on this report in a future broadcast.