The Broken Bow City Council unanimously approved the promotion of Police Captain Chris Anderson to Chief of Police during its Tuesday evening Council Meeting. Many of Anderson’s family and colleagues were on hand for the ceremony appointing him to the role.
Anderson has over 15 years of experience as a police officer, has been a member of the Broken Bow Police Department since 2019, and a Captain with the department since 2023.
In announcing the decision before the Council, City Administrator Dave Schmidt expressed his confidence in Anderson’s experience, noting his long service with the Nebraska National Guard.
“As a veteran of the Nebraska Army National Guard with 24 years of service, he’s honed skills in strategic planning, budget management and relationship building that will strengthen our team’s ability to serve and protect,” said Schmidt. “From designing comprehensive training programs that prepare officers for real world scenarios to volunteering with our local fire department, Chris embodies the values of reliability, adaptability and community focus that define Broken Bow.”
Chief Anderson didn’t always plan to be a police officer, having originally attended the University of Nebraska – Lincoln as a music education major. Anderson said though, that being a band director didn’t really seem to fit. It was during an overseas deployment with the National Guard in a law enforcement role that things began to click for Anderson.
Coming back to Nebraska, a friend suggested being a police officer in the small town of Gordon, NE.
“We ended up getting hired on in Gordon and I loved it,” remembered Anderson. “I love the small town feel. And so, you know, I’d been working kind of a few different agencies around the panhandle for the last several years. I remembered one of the gentlemen that was in the Guard Unit with me was from Broken Bow. Broken Bow had an opening for an officer, so, I figured, hey, I’d look into that and I’ve moved here and I’ve loved it ever since.”
After the ceremony formally appointing Chief Anderson to his new role, City Council President Russ Smith also commended Broken Bow Police Sergeant Chris Henderson who was also up for the position for putting his hat in the ring, saying Henderson was a fine officer too.
Chief Anderson said he has some ideas in mind for improvements that can be made in serving the citizens of Broken Bow, but for now plans to take some time adjusting to his new role first.
