Three new Austin police officers were sworn in today.

Monday, November 06, 2000

Three new Austin police officers were sworn in today.

Ryan Leif, Mark Walski and Eric Blust were administered the oath of office by Tom Dankert, the city’s administrative services director, in ceremonies in the Council Chambers at the Austin Municipal Building.

Austin Police Chief Paul M. Philipp said as many as three new officers have been previously sworn in, but this is the largest single number of officers added to the police force in recent history.

This brings the total number of officers to 27, with one more expected to be hired by the year’s end.

However, the promotion of Lt. Curt Rude to captain and the retirements of Lt. Glenn Thaisen and Patrolman Brad Bednar, as well as the expected retirement of veteran officer Chuck Wesley indicate there will be future personnel adjustments, too.

The three officers fill a void that Philipp said existed this summer, when a rash of violent crime erupted in Austin.

Ryan Leif, a 1995 graduate of Pacelli High School and Riverland Community College, is the son of Paul and Deb Leif.

His wife Jamie, parents and other relatives witnessed the swearing-in ceremonies.

He is a former community service officer for the Austin Police Department and last served as Brownsdale’s police chief.

His grandfather, Francis Griffith, deceased, was a long-time Minnesota State Patrol trooper.

"I’ve wanted to be in law enforcement since I was in high school. It feels good today to become an officer in my hometown," he said.

Mark Walski, single and a native of Winona, comes from a law enforcement family. The 1998 graduate of Arlington High School completed his law enforcement college studies at Alexandria and worked for the Rushford Police Department before being hired in Austin. His mother is Jean White and his father is Don Walski, deputy police chief in Winona. One brother is a police officer at Winona and an uncle is a police officer at Red Wing.

"Dad persuaded me to consider a career in law enforcement," Walski said, "but I think it was the Winona police officers who really convinced me after literally growing up in the Winona Police Department."

Eric Blust, a native of Ohio, earned a college degree and moved to the Midwest, where his wife Jennifer had taken a registered nursing job. He worked for the Dane County Sheriff’s Office in Madison, Wis., and in private security work before seeking the Austin job.

He said he is happy to be a police officer in a small city, where "an officer can better relate to the community and be a better role model for children and teen-agers."