Special Report: Local Blue Bloods

CBS's hit show Blue Bloods follows a family of police officers. The Reagans draw more than ten million viewers each week.

Closer to home there is a real life family of blue bloods.

The Rousseaus also have public service in their genes.

"I did not go to Vietnam, did not go to the military so maybe I felt that was some sort of void I wanted to fill. This was the way I was able to fill it" says Gene Rousseau.  He started with the Brown County Sheriff's Office in 1975.

"First and only law enforcement job" he says with a smile.

He worked his way to sergeant's rank while holding down his second job of being a dad.

"I am pretty proud of both. Being in law enforcement you're working different shifts, sometimes I didn't get to see the boys all that much until my days off. They were in school, I was sleeping whatever the case may be. We tried to make up for that on my days off. We did a lot of stuff together" he says.

Work often came home with Gene.

"Everybody in the family has to understand the job I think. I think it is hard for a family not to be a law enforcement family as a whole" he explains.

Even his partner, canine officer Star, lived with the Rousseau's.

"I always tell everybody John learned to walk by pulling himself up on the dog and walking with the dog" Gene says.

"You definitely grow up with a heightened level of respect, absolutely. You learn what morals were and what ethics were" says John Rousseau.

While they loved to hear dad's stories neither John or Justin set out to be in law enforcement.

"Actually I always wanted to play football" Justin says.

John studied computer science, but found himself drawn to the uniform after college.

Dad explains "When he was about to graduate from St. Norbert's he actually said, dad you're not going to like this, but I'm going to go be a cop. I said you're right, but as time went on I thought well he's a big boy he's got to do what he wants to do".

Now a nine year veteran of the Green Bay Police Department, John is a Lieutenant.

His computer skills are put to use helping the department organize its records.

But John is not too far removed from the road to offer advice to his brother Justin, a rookie with the Brown County Sheriff's Office.

"The neat part is I remember when I was new and every call was exciting and the first time. Seeing him it reminds me a lot of how I was when I first started" John says.

Justin is fresh off probation now in the squad car by himself.

"It was kind of a wakeup call" Justin explains. "It is all coming together right now. This is everything I have trained for and I finally get to put this to use. It just kind of hits you, this is actually happening, its real".

"At this stage of the game they're pretty much teaching me now" Gene says.

Now retired after almost 26 years on the force, Gene spends time working on his bikes with his boys.

"I teach motorcycle safety at NWTC and firearms as well. I stay busy" he says.

With sons on different forces the teasing is endless.

"Why is one with Green Bay one with Brown County? What happened there" people will ask. "It is all friendly bantering a little bit" Gene says.

Family dinner is like a scene straight out of Blue Bloods.

"When everybody gets together sometimes mom has to tell us to knock it off because we're talking about stuff that isn't appropriate at the dinner table" Gene explains. 

"We like to trade stores. He likes to hear the stories, and we've heard all his" Justin says.

Sharing stories is just one way these men cope with the daily challenges of working in law enforcement.

In the next part of our series Local 5's Millaine Wells goes on the road with the Rousseau brothers to hear about the cases that stick with them.

Tune in for the second  part of our report Friday night on Local 5 news at 10:00.