The Jefferson City Council recently hired a new patrol officer.

Officer Bohden Bigler grew up on a family farm in rural Decorah. He graduated from Decorah High School in 2016 and attended Kirkwood Community College for one year in the agriculture program. He then switched careers and went into police sciences, where he earned his associates degree from Hawkeye Community College in May of 2019. He spent 11 months as a police officer with the Sumner Police Department.

Bigler explains why he changed careers from ag to law enforcement.

“(I’ve) always enjoyed helping people, enjoy the different opportunities that are available through this career. The list of opportunities is only growing. This career is always evolving, it’s always changing. There’s always something new to learn, and you know that those new things that you are learning is still beneficial to yourself, your department and the community.”

Bigler describes why he wanted to join the Jefferson Police Department.

“I came here just knowing that Jefferson is a great place to be. I have some relatives here. There’s a lot of opportunities here. Chief (Mark) Clouse, I’m already enjoying working with him, and with the other officers, as well as the Greene County (Sheriff’s) Deputies. I look forward to the challenges as well as the progress to come with this position.”

The City Council approved the hire on October 27th, and Bigler started October 28th with an annual salary of $44,821. Chief Clouse tells Raccoon Valley Radio he is in the process of hiring another officer, which will put the department down only one position.