New Ulm Police Commander Dean Barstad said NUPD sergeants are responsible for the supervision, leadership and management of their assigned shifts, enforce department policies, move the agency mission forward and act as a liaison between administration and the patrol staff.

Lewandowski joined the NUPD in Park Patrol Reserve Unit in September 1998. He became a regular police officer in New Ulm in May 2001. He formerly served with the Springfield Police Department and earned a law enforcement degree at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

He became a field training officer in 2004 and was named to the Emergency Response Unit entry team and sniper in 2006.

“It’s been great working with everyone. We’ve got a great police department,” Lewandowski said.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch New Ulm Police Department officer Aaron Lewandowski, right, is sworn in as a new sergeant by Brown County District Court Judge Robert Docherty, left, in the Brown County District Courtroom Monday, as Aaron Widmark, center, looks on.

After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. and reaching the rank of sergeant, serving in Somalia and Japan, Widmark earned an associate’s degree at Bemidji State University in 2004 and worked for the Leech Lake Tribal Police in 2005 and the Blackduck Police Department in 2006. He joined the NUPD in September 2007.

Widmark serves the NUPD as a field training officer and firearms and defensive tactics instructor. He has been active in the Shop with a Hero program for five years. This spring, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University.

“We’ve got a lot of good officers and a lot of great people here,” Widmark said. “I’ll make the most of this opportunity. I promise you that.”

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.