The distance between Wheatland, Iowa and Selma, NC is 1,000 miles. The journey and life experiences between these two cities has made Brandon Knudtson the officer that he is today. Corporal Knudtson was recently selected the 2020 Selma Police Officer of the Year. The selection was made by a vote of police department employees.
Brandon attended Calamus-Wheatland High School in Wheatland, Iowa. After graduation he joined the military where he served in the Marines from 2010 to 2015 and specialized in avionics. His final duty station was the Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, NC. He moved to Selma, NC and graduated from Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) at Johnston Community College in Smithfield.
After completing BLET, he went to work at the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. For the past 2-1/2 years, Brandon has been on the Selma police force. “I enjoy the camaraderie. I like how approachable the command staff is and their willingness to accept new ideas.”
Officer Knutdson has already made a positive impact on the department and the community. He was dispatched to a call for a heart attack victim. He started CPR on the woman before first responders arrived. She made a full recovery. He has also administered narcan to drug overdose victims, saving several lives along the way.
Knutdson says serving the public is his number one priority. “I think about this a lot. I try to pass on to other officers… I think it is a basic human right that all people should be able to live their life without being a victim of a crime. I try to base all my work on this.”
Brandon comes from a law enforcement family. His father, Scott Knutdson is a Captain with the State of Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement. His sister is a part-time community resource officer with the Sioux Falls Iowa Police Department.
Selma Police Chief W.M. “Billy” Thomas recently presented Brandon with the Officer of the Year Award. “We are lucky to have him. He has been a hard working, loyal employee. He has been promoted to corporal. He has done an excellent job running his shift. He never complains. We are proud to have him on the police force,” Chief Thomas said.
Brandon and his wife have two children. While off-duty Brandon enjoys farming and camping. He has several farm animals including pigs, cows, horses and chickens. The Knutdson family has an RV and enjoy camping as often as they can.
