Familiar face named new full time Kasson Police Officer
When Matt Norland was in High School in Owatonna he was apart of the police explorers program.
Ever since then Norland knew what he wanted to be in life.
A police officer.
In May of 2017 Norland’s dream of becoming a cop became true when he took a position as a part time police officer with the City of Kasson.
After spending time as a reserve officer with the department Norland said that he was excited to be given the chance to become a part time officer.
“I was really excited to start as a part time officer,” he explained.
After full time officer Gary Scofield announced that he would be retiring at the end of the year it prompted Police Chief Kent Berghuis to go out and find someone to replace him.
He knew that he didn’t have to look far as a perfect replacement was already with the department.
“Matt has done a very good job for us and has become a valuable asset to us and the
community which he serves,” the Chief wrote in a letter to the City Council asking for the promotion of Noreland.
During the last City Council Meeting the Council agreed with the recommendation made by the Police Chief and decided to promote Norland effective Jan. 1.
One of the favorite things about the job for Norland is the fact that it is never the same thing everyday and there is always the factor of unpredictability.
“You never know what your gonna get for calls,” Norland said, “even if it’s a slow night it’s never a dull night or boring night,” he added.
One of the things that impresses Norland most about Kasson is how much everyone in the community loves their town.
“They love their town so much it makes me excited to be apart of it,” said Norland.
Another thing that Norland likes a lot about the town is how welcoming the town is towards him especially when he first started.
While at first Norland wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a “big town cop” or a “small town cop” now that he has served the community of Kasson he knows that he is exactly where he wants to be.
“Now that I been here a while I realized it’s the place I wanted to end up,” Norland said with a smile.
Norland is currently continuing his education at Bemidji State where he will obtain his Bachelor's Degree this spring.