Waukesha Police Officer Tim Probst was unanimously promoted to the position of detective by the Police & Fire Commission Monday evening upon the recommendation of Police Chief Russell Jack.

Probst, who was at the PFC meeting with his family, has been with the police department since January 2001, said Deputy Police Chief Mark Stigler. Probst is well known in Waukesha as the founder of Freezin’ for Hunger after he camped outside the Waukesha Family YMCA to raise funds and food donations to benefit the Food Pantry of Waukesha County.

Probst told Waukesha Patch in January 2011 that he didn’t realize the suburbs had a significant level of homelessness before he began working at the police department. When he started working patrol in Waukesha, though, he soon learned he was wrong.

"I saw a need for raising the awareness of the hungry and the homeless people in Waukesha," said Probst in January about starting Freezin’ for Hunger. "I guess I was kind of naive to the whole thing."