At a time of change at the Decorah Police Department, new police chief Bill Nixon is stressing continuity

New Decorah Police Chief Bill Nixon

The last four or five months has been a time of unbelievable change at the Decorah Police Department, with a number of long-time officers retiring.  But in the wake of the biggest of the changes--the naming of Assistant Police Chief Bill Nixon as Decorah Police Chief, effective October 16th--Nixon is emphasizing that he will continue in the tradition of former police chiefs Tom Courtney and Ben Wyatt.

Nixon tells decorahnews.com that the Decorah Police Department has always believed in a "balanced approach" to law enforcement.  That means the department's approach goes beyond writing tickets and includes being a part of the community and interacting with people.  The "balanced approach" includes partnering with other law enforcement agencies, such as the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Department, the Luther College Security Department and the Northeast Iowa Drug Task Force.

The retirements of a number of longtime officers means the department has lost a lot of experience, but it also means the "very young" officers who replaced them have a chance to learn new skills and step to the front.

Nixon says he'll look for new sources of funding to  supplement the department's regular funding.  That will include grant writing, where appropriate.  "There's more concern about budgets (now)," notes Nixon.

No matter what the future brings, Nixon stresses that the Decorah Police Department stacks up well when compared to departments in other communities of similar size.  "We have a lot of expertise," he states.