Eagle Grove’s newest police officer Mitchell Skow has only been on the job for a few weeks now, but is already finding out what a great community it is. “It’s a good town, and I see a lot of younger people which is good,” said Skow. “It’s also an active community.”
The certified officer is from the Humboldt/Dakota City area, and following high school there he went to UNI for two years. He also joined the National Guard, but still had the idea while in high school to do law enforcement as a career. He started as a reserve in Algona, then became a certified reserve. He was hired as a fulltime officer for the city of Humboldt in March of last year, and attended the Academy. “I’m a member of class #290,” he proudly stated.
“I’ve always wanted to help people and the community,” said Skow as to why he chose this career. “I feel I’m doing something to make a difference in people’s lives.” He admits that he loves being here. “The officers here are amazing, and the folks living here are very welcoming,” he said. “I have learned a lot, and Chief Beltran and the guys on the force have been very helpful in getting me started. I like the fact that everyone in this department is on the same page.”
He admits that his favorite part of this job is traffic patrolling and keeping an eye on motorists. “That keeps us busy,” said Skow. “It gives us yet another opportunity to interact with the public, and we try to accomplish what we can even with just one officer on patrol during the night. 90 percent of our job is to be seen so making traffic stops, for whatever reason, is all about keeping people safe.” He also would like to look into specialized training if given the chance. “I think the drugs and alcohol area would appeal to me,” he said. “Learning more about how much it takes and how it affects people would help me in the future.”
With our current nationwide issue of police officers being accused of racism, the opinions of people about law enforcement is changing and not necessarily in a good way. I asked Skow for his take on this hot-button issue. “It’s completely different here in a small town and in the rural areas,” he said. “I try not to base a group of people off the opinion of one person. You don’t cut down an apple tree because of one rotten apple, but as they say one bad apple can spoil the whole basket. It is a good opportunity to look at ourselves and how we do things.”
In his spare time, Skow likes to fish and work with his dad. “Any type of family activity appeals to me,” he said. The next time you’re out and about, if you spot Skow he wants you to come up to him, introduce yourself and say hi. “We’re not here to get people into trouble, but here to keep them safe,” said the officer.
