by Ben Sehnert
news@thenewsleaders.com
The St. Joseph Police Department has added a new member to its roster of patrol officers. Celeste Walz has been working with the department on a part-time basis since February, but the Sauk Rapids resident became a full-time employee on June 1 and is the only female police officer on staff.
“We do have an all-women campus here, and I think it is an important piece of the police department to have a woman on the police force,” Walz explained, referring to the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph. “Hopefully, I can fill that role.”
The Litchfield native attended the University of North Dakota where she graduated with a four-year business degree. After graduation, Walz pursued a career in aquatics, serving for eight years as the aquatics director at the St. Cloud YMCA.
She said she had always considered law enforcement as a possible career but only began to pursue that course in 2013 when she began law-enforcement training. She had served as a security officer at St. Cloud Tech High School before being hired by the St. Joseph Police Department in September.
Walz said St. Joseph presents challenges that are unique to a college town, such as the dramatic shifts in population that correspond with the school year that give rise to very different challenges for law enforcement.
On the other hand, Walz said she has enjoyed her work with the students at the College of St. Benedict in preparing for commencement week and with the citizens of St. Joseph.
“Everybody has been very welcoming and friendly to me, so I appreciate that, “Walz said. “It has been good to get to know a lot of people here. It’s a great community and still has a small-town feel that is fun to work with.”
Walz has lived in the St. Cloud area for 10 years and resides with her family in Sauk Rapids.
