I've always wanted to do good, help people, protect people.”

Commander Kyle Linscheid

The City of Hastings is preparing to welcome a new leader to its police department, continuing a line of leadership that stretches back more than a century and a half.
City officials recently announced that Commander Kyle Linscheid has been recommended to become the next Hastings police chief, replacing Chief David Wilske, who is retiring at the end of March. At the time of the announcement, the official appointment was expected to take place during the Hastings City Council meeting on March 16. That appointment became reality and Linscheid will become the 57th police chief in the city’s 169-year history.
Linscheid is no stranger to the Hastings Police Department. He has spent his entire law enforcement career with the city, serving in a variety of roles since first joining the department in 2008.
City Administrator Dan Wietecha said Linscheid stood out during the selection process.
“Throughout a series of interviews, Commander Linscheid proved he is a strategic thinker, able to set long-term goals and open to multiple perspectives to ensure informed decisions when problem-solving,” Wietecha said. “He will continue to advance the strong culture and morale we have built at the Hastings Police Department.”
The hiring process included several interview panels made up of both city staff and community partners. Representatives from Dakota County Social Services, 360 Communities, IDEA, Ally Supportive Services, Hastings Ministerial, Hastings School District, the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, city department directors, and members of the Hastings City Council’s Public Safety Committee and Public Safety Advisory Commission all participated.
Linscheid was one of three internal candidates considered for the position.
Wietecha noted that as Linscheid moves into the chief’s role, additional promotions within the department are expected in the coming weeks.
Linscheid’s path to law enforcement began long before he first put on a Hastings police uniform. He grew up in St. Paul, where an early influence helped shape his interest in the profession. He also had a distant relative who worked as a sheriff’s deputy.
“That's a really good question,” Linscheid said when asked what led him into law enforcement. “I grew up in St Paul next to a St Paul Police officer, and he used to come home in his squad and uniform. I saw him all the time, and I think the allure of being a police officer was probably started at a pretty young age.”
Linscheid said he had always felt drawn toward helping others.
“I've always wanted to do good, help people, protect people,” he said.
His career path nearly took a different direction. Before committing fully to law enforcement, Linscheid spent years attending private Catholic school and once considered entering the seminary.
“I went to private Catholic schooling for 13 years,” he said. “My senior year, I was pretty seriously considering going into a seminary, but I also I knew I wanted to be a dad and a husband.”
He ultimately chose to pursue law enforcement, graduating from Winona State University and later joining the Hastings Police Department.
Since being hired in 2008, Linscheid has worked in a wide range of assignments within the department.
Like most officers, he began his career on patrol before moving into several specialized roles. Over the years he has served as a school resource officer, a Dakota County Drug Task Force agent and team leader, a patrol sergeant, and a negotiator with the South Metro SWAT team.
For the past several years, he has served as a commander within the department.
“Everybody starts as a patrol officer,” Linscheid said. “I went from there to school resource officer for a few years, drug task force right after that, for three and a half years. I ended up being a team leader there, came back to patrol as a sergeant.”
He said those experiences along with time on the South Metro SWAT team have given him a broad view of the department’s work and responsibilities.
As he prepares to take on the chief’s role, Linscheid said his goal is not to overhaul the department, but to continue building on the work already underway.
“One of my primary reasons for even entering into the process was to be a torch carrier and to just keep helping build the foundation that Chief Wilske, Deputy Chief, Chief Schaefer and Chief Schnell built,” Linscheid said. “We've been moving in such a great direction that I just kind of want to steer the ship and keep it moving in that direction.”
That approach includes maintaining a strong internal culture, something he believes has become one of the department’s strengths.
“We don't have people leaving because it's terrible here,” Linscheid said. “People stick around here. People like it here. We have such a great group of men and women.”
Linscheid said leadership lessons from previous chiefs have shaped the way he approaches the job.
One of the most important, he said, is maintaining an open door.
“Open Door Policy,” he said. “It's important, I know from the receiving end as a patrol sergeant and an officer to be comfortable enough to come down and talk to any one of the offices about an idea, questions or guidance. That's very important.”
He also emphasized the importance of placing people in roles where they are best suited.
“The concept of putting round pegs in round holes,” Linscheid said. “We want to get the right people in the right positions.”
While leadership will be one of his primary responsibilities as chief, Linscheid said collaboration both inside and outside the department will remain essential.
“I do bring a good amount of experience, but that's all learned from people that are still in this building,” he said. “I know I have a lot to learn moving forward, but I'm just looking forward to continuing all the good things that are happening here.”
He added that partnerships with community organizations, city government, and other agencies will remain important.
“Teamwork and collaboration are big,” Linscheid said. “Those things are important.”
Like many police departments across the country, Hastings has also faced challenges related to drug use and overdoses, particularly involving fentanyl. Linscheid said continued education and enforcement will both play a role in addressing those issues.
“I think continued education on some of the dangers of how that stuff is being circulated nowadays is important,” he said. “Making sure that people are aware that this stuff can pop up easier than it ever has because of technology.”
He said awareness, prevention, and accountability must all be part of the approach.
“I think while recognizing that people who are in those positions are likely addicts themselves, they do need that help, but there also needs to be accountability,” Linscheid said.
Outside of work, Linscheid also has a creative outlet that many people may not expect from a police commander.
“I love playing the drums,” he said.
Linscheid said he has been playing for nearly three decades, largely teaching himself through practice and studying recordings.
“I've been playing for almost 30 years,” he said.
His musical tastes lean toward funk and rock, and while he jokes that he is far from the internet’s most famous drummers, he says the hobby has remained a lifelong passion.
As he prepares to step into the chief’s role, Linscheid said he hopes to continue serving the community that has supported him throughout his career.
“The department and the city have been so good to me over the years,” he said. “I don't know what situation would come up where I would think of leaving.”
The Hastings City Council considered the recommendation during its March 16 meeting. City Administrator Dan Weitecha began the conversation explaining the process of selecting a new police chief through the appointment process and then Council Members Angie Haus and Lisa Leifeld spoke on thanking the people and groups involved in the process and both included glowing words for Linscheid.
After the three spoke, Mayor Mary Fasbender asked for a motion to accept the recommendation to promote Commander Linscheid to Chief Linscheid. The motion was instantly carried and the promotion became official.
Commander Kyle Linscheid will officially take office as the Chief of Police on April 1, 2026.