Posted on Tuesday, 13th November 2007 by Bruce
Larry Powalisz didn’t initially set out to write a children’s book after retirement from the Milwaukee Police Department, following nearly 30 years on the force. His “rise through the ranks†is truly a Milwaukee success story. He started as a patrol officer, a graduate of the Milwaukee Safety Academy in 1976; later, he was promoted to detective, with stints on the Tactical Enforcement Unit, the Robbery Task Force, and the Gang Crimes Unit, just to name a few of the challenges he accepted in his distinguished career. Powalisz also served for 20 years as a military special agent with the US Coast Guard Reserve.
Powalisz told me recently in a phone interview that he had plans to write a different sort of book after his retirement from MPD. “It would have been a collection of cop stories, written by retired cops”, Powalisz said. Then, while attending “Book Expo America†several years ago, Powalisz hit upon a different idea. He would combine recollections of family trips to Hawaii (one of his main characters, Aloha Jack, is actually modeled after a Hawaiian Shave Ice) with a positive message told to young readers through an adventure story. What took shape became The Island Treasure Hunt, the first in a series of books featuring Powalisz’ “Boyz of Aloha†characters, which Powalisz tells me proudly was “written in Waukesha County, with graphics created in Elm Grove, and printed in Menomonee Falls”. It is a book filled with colorful illustrations of Powalisz’ original characters, designed to appeal to the young reader, and an animated version of The Island Treasure Hunt is also in development.
Like its author, The Island Treasure Hunt is a product of the Milwaukee area, written by a native Milwaukeean who saw many changes on the streets of troubled neighborhoods as he worked to make them safer for the law-abiding resident “victims”, many of whom were caught in the middle of what Powalisz believes became a “societal breakdown” in the central city.
During his years on the force, specifically his time in the Gang Crimes Unit, Powalisz became all too familiar with the effortless self-gratification associated with the lure of drug dealing. He observed many young children who were attracted to the “mentor-hero” role possessed by drug dealers and gang leaders in Milwaukee’s most economically challenged neighborhoods. He hopes that his book might offer a positive moral message to the young reader: The message that no good deed goes unnoticed.
Having witnessed the decline of the traditional family, and the bleakness of life on the streets of Milwaukee’s poorest neighborhoods, in a career that spanned nearly three decades, it would have been easy for Powalisz to lose sight of that positive message. “It’s not all gloom and doom. There’s hope for our society, and we can work it through”, says Powalisz. He believes that Milwaukee’s cycle of gang and drug related violence can be reversed, but only through tough policing, and imparting a positive message to our youth that the lure of easy money through drug dealing and gang affiliation is not the answer. Powalisz hopes that his recently published book for young readers can be a part of this positive message.
Talking to Powalisz recently, his voice becomes clearly passionate as he talks about his work on the streets, specifically his time on the tactical unit. It is obvious to me that this is a guy who took great pride in working to bring Milwaukee’s “bad guys†to justice during his tenure here. I can almost see his eyes widen through the phone as he talks about the excitement of being “the first one through the door” on tactical unit runs. He speaks of quality leaders at MPD who mentored him through the years: Carl Sincere, Ken Meuler; of the difference which they’ve made in our community, and to Powalisz’ own development as a law enforcer.
“Larry was a big guy”, says retired MPD Captain Glenn Frankovis, who worked with Powalisz at Milwaukee’s District 5 in the mid to late 1970′s. “There was this one time Larry got stabbed at a family trouble where there was a big fight. Larry didn’t even realize he had been stabbed until he was back at District 5, and someone spotted the blood on the side of his shirt”.
Frankovis used to call Powalisz “The Incredible Hulk” because he was always lifting weights. “Not anybody I’d want to mess with”, says Frankovis. “But a nice guy, too”.
Powalisz recently relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area with Lynn, his wife of 28 years, to accept a different sort of law enforcement assignment. I asked Powalisz, this “Incredible Hulk” of a retired MPD detective, now a published author of a unique children’s book, if there was anything he’d miss about his hometown and the place where he fought crime for three decades.
“I sure won’t miss the snow”, said Powalisz. “But it was hard to put down my badge and gun”.
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Copyright 2007, Badger Blogger. Image used with permission of author.
Posted in Home | Comments (11)
11 Responses to “Retired MPD Detective Larry Powalisz is still making a difference for young people”
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November 13th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I first learned of Larry Powalisz’s book from my wife. She was surprised to see “Big Larry” on The Morning Blend television show a few weeks ago.
http://www.themorningblend.com/NewsArticle/tabid/1474/xmid/15786/Default.aspx
Knowing Larry from his tac squad days, I never imagined him authoring a book for kids. I did feel like one of the three kings traversing a far driving all the way to a book store in Oconomowoc to buy the book for my daughter. Larry, if at all possible, get a store in Milwaukee to carry the book.
November 13th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Mr. Powalisz visited my sons school and spoke about his job as detective and his new gig as an author. The kids were excited to have him there and asked a ton of questions. He was very friendly and authentic, of course later that day I bought his book at Fireside Books in West Bend.
The illustrations are fantastic and as a parent I like the moral to the story. If you have a 2nd through 5th grader this book is for you.
November 13th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Finally you can find something that’s made in America!
You want to support a cop and all around good guy…buy this book…”The Island Treasure Hunt”.
November 13th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Knowing Larry Powalisz for many, many years, his motives for his book are to turn as many youngster’s lives around and put them on the right track to contribute to society. This is the Larry fellow officers, myself included, have admired for so many years. How wonderful it would be for central city leaders and residents to purchase his book for distribution in high crime areas. Larry might consider a Spanish version for similar distribution on the near southside.
November 13th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
What an awesome man. Thanks for bringing us this interview Bruce.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:06 am
“Larry is a good $hit”, which is to say he is a good guy. Glad to see life is treating him well in retirement.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:29 am
Roland, as you may know, I’ve got a Jeffco-,Colorado, Sheriffs deputy brother, and a State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security former USAF Maj. “little” Brother.
My 2 “little brothers”. Colorado brother went to Marquette University High School. He’s 40 and I’m so f’ing proud of him. But, he doesn’t need my pride like Lee Holloway does.
None the less, I love him more than he’ll ever know.
Jefferson County brother, we’ll call him Jamie (JAY are you paying attention for payback?) had his first SWAT incident at COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL. Jamie was given the task of telling parents of MISSING students the up to date info.
In other words, he had to placate and actually deal with parents whose children had been slaughtered. He had to tell Mom that her child had not been accounted for YET.
My brother “anonymous” “smirk” Jamie,was on the cover of Police Magazine. I own several copies, and the pic is of Jamie from behind, with families FREAKING in the foreground.
I’ve always adored my 2 little brothers, but BOTH, have shown me that, THEY HAVE TAKEN THE BATON and ACHIEVED. Neither of my 2 little BRO’S is political in the least. They both DO, rather than SAY.
Both have told me how VALUABLE my BIG BROTHER INFLUENCES made them good, better or BEST. One time I actually CRIED (JAY YOU CAN RELATE TO THAT?) when my 2 HERO, little brothers told me that I HAD BEEN THEIR MAJOR ROLE MODEL AND INFLUENCE!!!!!!!!!!
These 2 great Americans thought that I had been a factor in their formation!! I guess I was, but they are better not because of ME. Maybe??? Brett Favre must LOOK UP to someone. My 2 little brothers looking up to me is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FLATTERING and I do not deserve it!
OR DO I?
November 14th, 2007 at 8:57 am
I’ve known Larry since we pounded the “mean streets” of State Fair Park as police officers after our respective retirements from our “real” jobs. I finer man I have yet to meet!! Though he has found great success and I wish him well, I am still PO’ed that he moved away and left me back here in the frozen north…………..Good luck Larry and keep up with the dreams…………for you they all seem to come true……….and this time to the benefit to all those kids that read and maybe are changed by your book.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Being the printer of this book, my relationship with Larry and his wife Lynn has just begun, although they have known family members of mine for years, all I can say is what genuine nice people. It is great to see someone to continue to try and help people.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
MilwHowie is onto something here….the PD’s in the area should hand out this book like baseball cards! Not only would this encourage kids to read, the story has a moral to it.
Great idea!
January 16th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Thanks Larry and Lynn,
You’re a team our family are all proud of. . .
I’m all for your goals. . .
Change the society forward to the best it can be . . .one kid at a time . . . .
Or, by a cluster of friends in an assembly audience. . . .
You’re a perfect role model. . . I’ve known you 28+ years since you were on the force with Mark and then married my cousin. . . We’ve all been lucky. . . we had you with us at the best of times. . . Not needing to be violent with us, but showing us your heart of goal for everyone . . . believing everyone can change with a desire and appropriate role model. . . You’re capable of being as tough as nails. . . and as gentle as love can be.
I hope you have decades of writing and speaking to the youth of our world ! See you on the Morning News Shows out of New York soon . . . Toni