New faces abound in police dept.

Superior Police Department has had several changes this past year or so. Three new officers and a new Chief of Police have joined the department since Perry Freeman retired in December 2019. Jason Miller joined the department last year and graduated from the Law Enforcement Academy in Grand Island Dec. 20, 2019. Nolan Janzen also joined the department last year and is almost finished with his training in the academy. Veteran law enforcement officer from Texas, Daryl Wilkes, has joined the Superior force this year. Together they will protect and serve the Superior community. These officers have different and unique backgrounds with solid values beneficial to this community.

Miller, from Ainsworth, Neb., used to watch Steven Segal's movies when he was a young child. These movies instilled the values of justice, and he wanted to be someone that could carry out the law as it is written. The law is important to Miller and he wants to be sure that the law is carried out by everyone. His Christian upbringing also helped to instill this value in his everyday life.

He enjoys interacting with the Superior community. He never really wanted to be an industrial worker but would rather work with people. He realizes that people don't always see what law enforcement does to keep citizen's safe. It's important to him to protect the vulnerable who cannot help themselves. "There are so many intricacies to police work that people don't see. "Bringing the nuance approach is not what I expected as a child. I was more simplistic then. The law is important to me. Everyone should be treated the same.Small cities are not immune to big cities problems."

Miller does not believe in enforcement for enforcement's sake. He is here to, "Educate people to see a better way of doing the right thing. To rethink what they have done." Miller and his wife, Taylor, enjoy being in Superior. They love the freedom that Superior offers them.

Nolan Janzen grew up in Giltner Neb. The law enforcement community is respected in Giltner. Janzen's parents are friends with police officers in Giltner. By the time he was in high school, Janzen knew he wanted to be in law enforcement. When he went to college, he did so with police work in mind. His double major was criminal justice and communications at Wayne State. He also had a Spanish minor.

His view on the law enforcement vocation has always been to protect and serve. The choice to move to a small town was easy for him but it took two years to actually get to Superior. He and his wife, Tierney, decided to find a place where they could both be happy. "I wanted her to be happy too and to have a job she would like so we could stay for a long time.It was a teamwork approach. Superior reminds me of Giltner."

During this time Janzen worked at the jail in Lincoln. He worked with youth rehab on Kearney campus. Later he worked with Child Protected Services while making initial assessments. He is happy that he was able to learn these skills. He learned to de-escalate conversations with people who did not really want to talk to him. "The Academy was challenging and good for me. It was intense training with legal courses and the physical workouts." The motivational speakers made it clear to the recruits they need to know why they were in the law enforcement life. It was helpful to become more knowledgeable when he would be on a small department.

Daryl Wilkes is the veteran retired law enforcement officer from Pflugerville (fligerville),Texas where he grew up. He came to us with 3,500 hours of law enforcement training and 28 years of experience. "I got into law enforcement to make a difference. I want to make a difference every day." Wilkes was a patrolman for four years. He worked as a sergeant for six years. He's worked as and investigator in a school district for nine months. Wilkes has been on the command staff from 2000 to 2010 and was a lieutenant until 2018.

Wilkes feels he can make a difference by being a patrolman and interacting with people in the community. He enjoys being a patrolman more than working in the office and shuffling paper. He's been a horse officer as well as a canine officer. Wilkes was an instructor and has had the experience of running two different police academies.

"My life circumstances made this position in Superior perfect." Wilkes and his wife, Beth, enjoy being a part of the Superior community.

Jill Algood was hired by the Superior City Council when Billie Maxey was mayor in 2006. Perry Freeman was Chief at the time. Algood is a native of Superior but started her law enforcement career in Platte City, Mo. She began as a receptionist and then was promoted to records. She enjoyed working there but moved back to Superior when she and her husband, Dave, got the opportunity to do so. Before getting back into law enforcement, Algood owned and operated her own business, "Jill's Tacos." She also subtitute taught at the Superior Schools. Jill worked at the Superior Express as well.

Her favorite part of being in law enforcement is to mingle with the community and to help people in need. Building the bonds with her community is important to her. When someone sees the patrol vehicle at a residence, "It doesn't always mean they did something wrong. It might mean that the family or person may need some information or some help." There are many concerns community members may have, such as where to get in touch with the food bank. The Superior Police Department is a great resource for people to get and find what they need."

The Superior officers have one goal in common. That is to protect and serve the community of Superior, to protect the vulnerable and to serve the community as a whole.

Algood and the Superior Police Department take great measures to keep people safe. "During this time of the Covid 19 pandemic, it is important to keep everyone calm and to take precautionary measures."