Hillsboro officer joins Marion police

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Former part-time Hillsboro police officer Dustin Woodford is now a full-time officer for Marion Police Department.

Woodford, born in Alaska, was hired three months ago as a part-time officer in Hillsboro.

Hillsboro Police Chief Jessey Hiebert said he thought Woodford would be a perfect fit for police work.

Although Woodford came to Marion because he wanted to work full-time, Hiebert said he’d like to get him back at the right time for Hillsboro.

“I look forward to eventually have him back here full-time,” Hiebert said.

Woodford was assigned to military police duty when he served in the Army and National Guard.

He started working for Marion on Thursday.

Interim Marion police chief Zach Hudlin said Woodford would begin training at state law enforcement academy March 25.

“He’s got a passion for the job. He’s always wanted to be in law enforcement,” Hudlin said. “He just never got the opportunity.”

When Peyton Heidebrecht left the Marion police department, Woodford reached out to Marion, Hudlin said.

Woodford worked 10 years as a construction contractor in Montana, where he was closer to his family. He and his wife, Suzie, were motivated to move to Kansas to be closer to her family.

Marion police department now has four full-time and three part-time officers. The department is not actively searching to fill the one remaining full-time position. When a police chief is hired, Hudlin said, he doesn’t want one officer to be let go because the department would be over-staffed.