Sartell Police Chief Hangs Up His Duty Belt Friday After 32 Years With the Department

(KNSI) — Sartell Police Chief Jim Hughes will mark his last day on the job this Friday.

Hughes was honored at the last city council meeting on March 13th for his 30-plus years on the force. He was also heralded by Congressman Tom Emmer with a Congressional Record statement earlier this month.

Hughes was one of many Sartell government department heads to meet incoming chief Brandon Silgjord during the interview process. Hughes says he is looking forward to connecting with him.

“I’m hoping at some point I get to talk to him a little bit further just about what I know internally about the department, about the community, about the city, how we developed over the years. And I think it’s gonna be good to pass some knowledge on at some point.”

The hope is that Silgjord will take over in May or June, pending a background check and psychological evaluation. Wayne Schreiner has been temporarily promoted from deputy chief to interim police chief until the transition is completed.

Hughes says he will miss a lot about the job when he steps away. In particular, he mentions serving in a community that genuinely appreciates the men and women who work every day to protect it.

“The amount of public support we get, whether it’s people dropping things off or writing letters of thank you or whatever it is. It seems to come at the right time when maybe something’s going bad around the world or in the country and then everybody focuses on law enforcement like we’re all the same and we’re all cracked out of the same egg. And we’re not.”

Hughes is a resident of Sartell and expects to continue to play an active role in his community even in retirement.

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