Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Charlie, Courtney, Joseph and Andy after he took the oath of office for Chief of Police on Dec. 30.
Bremer's father congratulates him on his recent appointment as Chief of Police. Mr. Bremer always knew that his son would make a good policeman. "He always had the ability to stand up for what was right," Mr. Bremer said, "I'm so proud of him."
Andy Bremer takes his oath of office on Friday, Dec. 30 at Kimball's City Hall. Bremer was congratulated by friends, family and coworkers during the proceedings.
Kimball Police Sergeant, Dwain Murdoch said of Bremer, "Of all the people we've gone through, he's going to be the best boss we've had so far."
If you were to run into Andy Bremer when he was off duty, you might not realize he has been in law enforcement for nearly fifteen years. The consensus around town is that Bremer is not just an exceptional cop, he's a great guy. Husband, father, son and friend to everyone he meets, this man has a good-natured character coupled with integrity.
Bremer grew up on the family ranch in the northern panhandle with the dreams of becoming a Catholic priest, thanks to his grandmother's influence.
When he was twelve, he and his older brother were in a bus wreck. Bremer was fortunate to escape with a broken collar bone, however, his brother did not survive the wreck.
His parent's separated not long after, with his mom moving to Alliance for a time before moving to Wisconsin where she taught at the University of Wisconsin. Bremer and his mother remained close even after the move.
Since then, his father remarried and he now has five step brothers and one step-sister that he also grew up with, as the families were all friends as well.
Bremer and his wife of 18 years, Courtney, met through their mothers when the kids were just 13 years old and remained friends throughout their childhood. Although Courtney lived in Alliance and Bremer in Hemingford, they grew up together and even dated for a week in high school, although Bremer admits to being more interested in cars than girls at that time.
Following graduation, in 1996, Bremer joined the Navy. While between attachments, Courtney took a bus from Alliance to Virginia Beach, Va., to visit and according to Bremer, "they hit it off." Six months later, on a Saturday night in Alliance, while he was on leave, according to Bremer, Courtney said to him, "you should just marry me." That next Wednesday, they were married.
In 2000, Bremer completed his military career and returned home. For awhile, he worked as a ranch hand and then in 2002, acting on advice from his father, who just retired last year as Chief of Police of Hemingford, Bremer applied to and was hired by the Alliance Police Department. He attended the Academy in 2003.
Bremer has done just about everything in law enforcement including working as a motorcycle cop and canine narcotics.
On Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, Andy Bremer was sworn in as Chief of Police of the City of Kimball.
Law enforcement is a family affair for both Bremer and his wife. Courtney's mother is the Sheriff of Box Butte County. Several years ago, Courtney's mother and Bremer's father ran against each other for Sheriff.
When he is not working for the police department or enjoying his family, Bremer has another pastime that he enjoys for the physical labor, working with nature and the inherent danger. When he was younger, he learned tree trimming from his step father who was an arborist. Tree trimming, "keeps me balanced," according to Bremer.
His family also keeps him balanced. Bremer and Courtney have two children; Joseph is eleven and wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up. The baby of the family, Charlotte, affectionately called Charlie by her father, is six and appears to have her father's outgoing personality, he admits.
Bremer and Courtney share the cooking duties for the family. He prefers to fry everything and she prefers healthier foods, but their partnership is strong despite a difference in cooking styles. "We've always been close, I wouldn't know what to do without her," he said of his wife.
When asked about his aspirations for his new position as Chief of Police, Bremer said, "We just need to get back to common sense," in reference to the administration aspect of the police department.
His management of his officers is similar. Bremer has hopes that his officers are approachable and that the community get to know them and trust them to serve and protect instead of being unnecessarily fearful of them.
"There's got to be a balancing act," Bremer said, "you've got to treat your people with respect, that's number one right there. Show them respect, it's a family, no matter what you're doing, you've got to have respect."
If someone steps out of line, Bremer said he is fairly strict, although he hasn't had much issue with that lately.
Overall, he just hopes that his officers are happy. He said, "If I can take away the stress of the job, then I'm winning, that's what I want to do. These guys are stressed out enough just being a cop these days, I don't want to add to it."
When asked what eleven year old Andy, who wanted to be a priest, would say to Police Chief Bremer, he said, "I think we're fairly in sync. I don't think I've changed a whole lot in my life. We're doing God's work, it's just a different way of doing it."