A file folder at the Mower County Historical Society contains the faded copy of an 1898 photo taken during the Spanish-American War. A group of young men sit looking placidly forward, as if staring into the future.
It's the file on Nicholas Nicholsen, Mower County's longest-serving sheriff, who served from 1904 to 1925. Nicholsen had been appointed a Mower County sheriff's deputy in 1897 and was called to active duty in the Army when the war broke out. The photo doesn't reveal where or just when it was taken, and the names of the participants are not listed left to right the way newspapers do today, but Nicholsen must be the soldier in the middle. We know that because the image resembles Ryan Chrz, 22, the newest deputy at the Mower County Sheriff's Department and Nicholsen's great-great-grandson.
Chrz (pronounced HERZ) is completing departmental training this month after attaining a long-time goal. Though he has completed a bachelor's degree in law enforcement at Minnesota State University-Mankato, Chrz never thought education was enough. "Volunteering was crucial to my getting the job," he said. That started at age 16, when he joined Austin Police Explorers. "I had lots of ride-alongs," he recalled. "I helped with security and training of K-9s. That gave me a taste of what law enforcement was like."
After graduating from Austin High School at 17, Chrz went to Riverland Community College and was able to serve as an Austin Police volunteer when he was 18. He was on-call for a variety of assignments, including the 2004 flood.
"I could have graduated from the Riverland program at 19, but I just didn't think I was ready," he said. He went on to Mankato. "I did a lot of maturing there." Law enforcement training in Minnesota is done in the state's colleges and universities, but programs must be certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, he explains. Created by the Legislature in 1967, POST is responsible for licensing 9,700 active duty peace officers.
The board lists 44 standards, such as defensive tactics, Minnesota Criminal Code, stress management and communications.
"The Mankato program was very dynamic," Chrz said. "Communications, physical fitness, defensive tactics, use of equipment -- much of it was hands-on."
The students even sampled a chemical spray on each other before running an obstacle course, he said. "That teaches you to focus even if your vision is blurred and no matter how tired you might be."
Chrz believes that maintaining the role of peace officer will be a challenge in his new career. "I try to bring a sense of humanity to this job, but I know that a lot of people won't see that. Especially in the big cities, there's a lot of hostility toward the uniform."
He's not looking for an easy or a lucrative job. "When I look back and see what I've done with my life, I think this will be worth a lot more than financial gain."
"I grew up knowing that my great-great-grandfather was a cop," he said. "There's a lot of family pride in that."
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