Blanchard Proud To Be Recognized

Oskaloosa Police Officer Brandon Blanchard on patrol Friday.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – It was a proud moment that symbolized and affirmed all the hard work was paying off when Oskaloosa Police Officer Brandon Blanchard was recognized as Officer of the Year for 2017.

Blanchard, a senior patrol officer, got started in his law enforcement career as an intern back in 2012 when he was a student at William Penn University. “I enjoyed it; I loved every minute of it. I didn’t feel like it was a job. I wanted to be here more than what they allowed me to be. It was incredible.”

Blanchard returned to the police department in November of 2013 as the community resource officer (CSO). “That was an amazing opportunity for me to pay my dues.”

In June of 2014, Blanchard tested to be a police officer, and in September of 2014, Blanchard put on the uniform for the first time as a police officer.

His focus during the past year was finding ways to better the department. “What can I do to make the department better. What can I do to make the city better,” were questions Blanchard asked of himself.

“I was given opportunities in a lot of different ways,” Blanchard said. Those opportunities to make a difference included leading the crime free multi-housing program, in an effort to lower crime in some of the larger housing units within the city.

Blanchard also took over defensive tactics for the department, spending time with the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy to better develop the program to help Oskaloosa police officers.

Blanchard is also the primary field training officer, helping to build and grow Oskaloosa’s next police officers, training two officers during the past year.

Blanchard continues to lift weights and is an avid body builder. His colleagues decided that a unique award was in store, so a championship wrestling belt was awarded for his dedication during the past year. “That was really neat.”

Being recognized for his efforts is something Blanchard is proud of. “When you’re told by your supervisors and your chief and people that you truly respect that ‘you are the best guy we’ve had this year’, or ‘you did really well this year’, that really means a lot. It really means a lot as a person. It really means a lot as a police officer.”

Blanchard has been a part of the Oskaloosa community, starting at William Penn University in 2009. During his time in the community, he’s had the opportunity to witness many different facets of Oskaloosa.

“William Penn University has done so much for me, in reference to my growth as a person and my growth as a professional,” said Blanchard, who came to Oskaloosa from the St. Louis metropolitan area.

When Blanchard was attending William Penn he was your typical student, knowing where all the fast food locations were, and a couple of bars, “I kind of knew how to get around, but not really,” said Blanchard.

That all changed when he took on his intern role in 2012, “that I actually understood, wow, there’s actually people that live here in Oskaloosa. Coming from a big city, I just saw Oskaloosa as a small town.”

It’s that time as an intern that Blanchard began to understand that people had lives here in Oskaloosa and that not everyone came here to retire, but instead would come here to “get their lives started.”

“That was really eye-opening for me, and that’s when I really understood what the American Dream is,” said Blanchard. “It’s not all big cities and buses and taxies, sometimes it is a small town way of life. It’s beautiful.”

“People are just trying to make a living, and they work hard,” said Blanchard of being a part of the Oskaloosa community. “People are very respectful here, and they are very supportive of law enforcement here.”