A new police officer in Albert Lea is excited about the department’s community policing goal.

Brianna Lutz, 25, has just finished her first week of training with the Albert Lea Police Department. After receiving offers from departments in Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Williston, N.D., she accepted the offer here.

“It was the one I thought I’d like to live in,” Lutz said.

She researched Albert Lea and its police department and likes the force’s goal of community policing.

“I like that each officer has a section of the city and that they talk to people in that area,” Lutz said.

In her three months of training she will be with other officers who will train her. She said during her ride-alongs she already has seen her training officers stop and talk with residents. The department’s focus on community policing is a strategy they’re using to create relationships with residents in the hopes to prevent crime.

Lutz has not yet worked in law enforcement, but she has previously worked in security at a hospital in Edina. Prior to that she completed her law enforcement skills training at the Alexandria Technical and Community College in 2011, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2010.

“I’ve been looking for a job,” Lutz said.

The Burnsville native was job searching in the metro area, but she said that in the few positions that are available she was competing with candidates who were already full-time officers. In her training in Albert Lea she’ll be able to work at all times of the day with different officers, but she’ll likely start on the evening shift when she’s done with her training. But working late at night is completely OK with her.

“I’m not a morning person so it’ll work better for me,” Lutz said.

Lutz said the other officers have been welcoming and that getting to know the city has been exciting. She’s working hard at learning all the street names and the quickest routes around town.

In her spare time she enjoys sports. In college she played hockey, rugby and lacrosse. In high school she played hockey and badminton, which was mostly for fun. She’s looking forward to being a full-time police officer because she likes the idea of doing something different each day and not working normal business hours.

“It’s something that’s always interested me,” Lutz said.
Brianna Lutz

Age: 25

Address: Albert Lea

Livelihood: officer with the Albert Lea Police Department

Family: Brianna’s parents, Mary Pat and George, live in Burnsville. She also has an older brother, Devin, who’s 30.

Interesting fact: Two summers ago Lutz traveled to seven countries and 21 cities in Europe as she backpacked across the continent over three months. Seeing the different cultures was what she enjoyed the most on the trip.