The outgoing Geretsried police chief Franz Schöttl looks back on 42 years of service in the long farewell interview.
Geretsried – Franz Schöttl has come full circle.
The head of the police inspection will retire at the end of April.
His career ended where it began 42 years ago - in Geretsried.
During this time, the Lenggrieser has passed through many stations and experienced a lot.
He talks about this in an interview with our newspaper.
Mr. Schöttl, you started in Geretsried in 1981 as a freshly hired police sergeant. How was it back then?
Schöttl:
At that time the police station was located in another building on Graslitzer Strasse.
I worked there until 1988.
I remember that time as very pleasant.
I was away for many years, but the service never completely let go of me.
I have always followed how the city has developed.
That's why I was very happy that I was allowed to come back in 2018.
According to its motto, is the city really simply different?
Schöttl:
Geretsried was already different back then.
And that is what made this department so appealing.
This urban with Geretsried and the rural with the communities of Königsdorf and Dietramszell.
Over the years, the city has become bigger, even more intense and impulsive.
Right now it is experiencing an enormous boost with the many construction activities.
Where more people live, more happens.
Schöttl:
That is correct.
But there is no criminal focus, as is known from other cities.
Geretsried is not negatively conspicuous compared to other cities such as Rosenheim, Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Bad Tölz in terms of crime.
What about the new center? At Karl-Lederer-Platz, disturbances of the peace and vandalism by young people are common.
Schöttl:
Because of the new high buildings in a small space, there is a different noise level, and you will have to get used to that.
If someone shoots a beer can 100 meters through the area, the windows open.
It's just loud and resonates.
I think that the corona pandemic has also made people more sensitive.
There were times when you weren't allowed to meet, and it was generally calmer and quieter.
But I don't think that's a sustained negative development.
That has to be found.
Are the police on duty in the center more often?
Schöttl:
We try to be present, but we can't be there all the time.
And we're also trying to involve the security guard.
How big is your team?
Schöttl:
Around 40 people work at the Geretsried office.
When you took up your post five years ago, you complained about the major change in personnel. Has the situation improved?
Schöttl:
In the beginning, the fluctuation was actually noticeable.
But maybe that was just a coincidence.
You always have this change, especially with younger officials who do not live here.
Being a police officer also offers many opportunities.
These are not just nuances, but very different activities.
That's the beauty of the job.
I didn't do it any differently.
As a boss, you have probably spent most of your working hours at your desk. Was there also an opportunity to go on patrol?
Schöttl:
I wouldn't call it that (laughs).
But of course I was outside too.
You have to manage larger operations yourself, especially when it comes to the right of assembly.
This is a difficult area of law where many mistakes can be made.
During the corona pandemic, there were also public protests in Geretsried against compulsory vaccination and the restrictions.
Schöttl:
Yes, these weekly gatherings accompanied us until last September, but not to the same extent as in Wolfratshausen, for example.
In Geretsried there were 200 demonstrators at the top.
For many months it was between 30 and 50 and most recently under ten.
How did the pandemic affect your everyday work?
Schöttl:
My employees survived Corona well and there were no long-Covid cases.
But that time was problematic.
Wearing the mask in the corridors and during meetings, time off work that had to be given because the child was ill or couldn't go to daycare.
That was not pleasant for anyone.
Outside, there were few cases where arguments didn't get you anywhere.
In large parts, the population has taken the Corona regulations seriously and implemented them.
Police service and home office: is that possible?
Schöttl:
That was only partially possible.
Securing evidence and doing interrogations from the computer is not possible.
In simple cases, we switched to written surveys or interrogations.
This is not the case in criminal proceedings.
Formalities have to be followed, including signing the interrogation protocol in person.
Could you also take something positive out of the pandemic?
Schöttl:
Many of our meetings and training courses are now also held via video.
That works great.
I don't regret having to go to Rosenheim for meetings.
Has Corona also pushed ahead with digitization in the police force?
Schöttl:
We had already done a great deal there and digitized old documents.
But we won't get along completely without paper.
The pandemic has boosted digitization in many areas. But cybercrime has also increased significantly.
Schöttl:
The range of cheating someone has become wider.
Crime in this area is high and continues to rise.
Shock calls, which are used to try to rob older people in particular of their money, are a recurring theme. What pattern do these perpetrators follow?
Schöttl:
There are call centers located in Turkey, for example.
They choose the Geretsried, Wolfratshausen, Bad Tölz area in one day.
In a short period of time there is then a mass of calls.
People react and inform the police.
We can prepare for that: there has to be someone to collect the money.
And the collector is our key, and sometimes we manage to thwart the delivery.
We've already had a few arrests.
On the other hand, unfortunately, it still often happens that someone empties their locker and hands over 50,000 euros to someone they don't know.
These are very insidious ways of doing things.
That's why it's so important to inform the police when an attempt is made.
It's just frightening, the dominance with which people appear to rob people of their savings.
The financial damage is one thing.
Schöttl:
Such experiences hit people hard, you can underestimate that.
That is why we place a strong emphasis on prevention.
You can look back on 42 years of service. What did you enjoy the most?
Schöttl:
The time with the criminal police was definitely the most interesting.
There I experienced a lot of formative things that helped me personally.
One looks into the deepest human abysses, comes very close to suffering and death.
This may sound strange, but I grew with this challenge.
You see a lot of things a little differently.
When you realize what can go wrong in early years, you are grateful for the beautiful childhood that you were allowed to experience.
Certainly there were also less pleasant experiences during this time.
Schöttl:
There are pictures that you never want to see again.
Despite this, I enjoyed going to work every day.
There have also been many experiences that have brought me joy, simply through the community.
I have always had very nice colleagues and employees.
How do you look back on your past five years of work in Geretsried?
Schöttl:
There have been no cases that will go down in the history books.
I'm happy about that too.
When the verdict in the trial of the double murder in Höfen was announced at the Munich II Regional Court in 2018, I listened to it.
And I did that very consciously.
The emergency services, who were the first to arrive that night, wanted to bring the experience to a close.
Something like that is very important.
I would have wished that in 2020 the district festival and the patronage day would take place in Königsdorf.
Both had to be canceled due to Corona.
I really felt sorry for that, also for the organizers.
We were also already in the preparatory phase.
Have you ever had to point your gun at people?
Schöttl:
Yes, but I was lucky that I never had to pull the trigger.
I've also never been seriously injured on deployments.
Have you ever received a speeding ticket?
Schöttl:
Yes, yes (laughs).
Parked wrong in Munich and sometimes drove too fast.
But everything within a range of between 10 and 20 euros.
No points in Flensburg.
As of May you are retired. Will there then be more time for your honorary posts as Lenggrieser vice mayor and district councilor?
Schöttl:
I hope that there will be more time for my hobbies.
I used to paint a lot.
I haven't had much time for that in the past few years.
I also enjoy going to the mountains, fishing and hunting.
Simply having time, without this tight coordination of appointments.
That's where I'm most happy.
What I will miss are the people.
Do you already know who will be your successor?
Schöttl:
Yes, that's for sure.
My previous deputy, Emanuel Luferseder, will head the Geretsrieder office in the future.
