Swiggum sworn in as newest Sauk Rapids police officer

by Logan Gruber

operations@thenewsleaders.com

A Long Prairie man is now patrolling the streets of Sauk Rapids.

Charlie Swiggum was sworn in as the newest Sauk Rapids police officer Sept. 28. Swiggum attended Rochester Community and Technical College, worked as a jailor at the Todd County Jail for two-and-a-half years, joined the Osakis police department for two years and then the Long Prairie police department for one-and-a-half more years.

“I really wanted to be in the military growing up,” Swiggum said.

Swiggum participated in football, wrestling and track-and-field in high school. He went to state his junior year in football, and his team won state in track-and-field one year.

After high school he took a few years off to work in machining and maintenance in Fargo, where he met his wife Becky. They dated for seven years and were married June 7, 2014.

He and Becky have a 6-month-old son, Jameson.

While the young family lives in Long Prairie for the moment, they do plan to move to the Sauk Rapids area eventually.

Swiggum initially found out about the Sauk Rapids police position through a Minnesota state online job board. He applied because he has always liked the area. He has a friend who used to work at the Todd County Jail and currently works for the Waite Park Police Department.

Swiggum has been shadowing other officers in Sauk Rapids for about two weeks and will soon begin to do some of the “actual police work,” he said with a laugh. He added the department will bid for their shifts in January, and he will likely choose an overnight shift at that point.

“I prefer the night shifts . . . it seems to be more exciting, there’s more going on,” Swiggum said. “My wife prefers I have day shifts, though.”

He added the calls he has been on in Sauk Rapids so far are of a larger variety than those he is used to in Long Prairie and Osakis, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

“Everyone at the police department I’ve met has made me feel very welcome,” Swiggum said. “[Police Chief Perry Beise] has been absolutely wonderful, and I look forward to a long career here.”