Hometown Hero - Officer Robert Nordby

This week’s Hometown Hero is Bangor Police Officer Robert Nordby.

When you think about giving back to our community, do you think about becoming a police officer? Robert Nordby did. Officer Nordby is the newest fulltime police officer on the Bangor force as well as an active member of the community who continues to give back.

Officer Nordby’s career has included 10 years in the Army and Army National Guard, 9 years in the Wisconsin State Patrol, a security officer at Gundersen Lutheran, and law enforcement and physical security for Fort McCoy. He has a degree in law enforcement from Mankato State University and a master’s degree from University of Phoenix. He has made the Bangor area his home for the past 15 years.

His world changed last year when he was diagnosed with cancer and forced to stop working at Fort McCoy. It was during this time when he began to think about what he was doing with his life. “I had to ask myself: Am I really giving back by working out there?” he says. “That’s why I first started working in Bangor.” In February, Nordby joined as a part-time officer and then became a full-time sergeant this summer.

As a police officer, Officer Nordby sees his role as a proactive one, advocating for maintaining a visible police presence as a form of deterrence. He and his fellow officers work to prevent crimes from occurring to begin with instead of only responding to them after the fact. He strives to be the sort of officer who is approachable and can provide helpful information to the public. “You can be a good cop maybe not so much by solving a major crime,” he says, “It might be something as simple as directing people to the right agency. I can do that, too.”

But Officer Nordby’s service to the community does not end there. He is also an adjunct instructor at Globe University in Onalaska where he teaches a security class and a criminology class. As a teacher, he encourages his students to become involved in the community by creating assignments like providing security assessments for Bangor High School and Elementary. The students check the placement of security cameras, conduct a lighting security and help ensure that the schools are a safe place for students.

Part of what makes Officer Nordby such a good officer is his commitment to the community. He says, “Bangor has given a lot to our family. It’s a good community with good schools and good neighbors. If I can help out a little by being a good cop, that’s great.”

Officer Nordby’s family has strong ties to the community. His daughter Kara is a senior at Bangor High School, while his oldest son Kyle is considering a military career after graduating from Viterbo University and his other son Connor is serving in the Navy overseas. His wife Rachel is an emergency room nurse in Sparta and a Bangor First Responder.

In addition to being an avid runner, one of Officer Nordby’s hobbies is volunteering as a rescue foster family for Greyhound Pets of America. These former racing dogs are often euthanized in their retirement but Officer Nordby and his family take a different approach. “Why not adopt them?” he says of these laid back dogs who he jokes “take their retirement very seriously.” The Nordbys have adopted two dogs through the program, Janey and Harmony. Officer Nordby notes that it is more like the dogs adopted them.

Congratulations to you, Officer Nordby. I know I speak for the whole community when I say that we are so excited to have you as part of our police force. We need more people like you out there who are selflessly devoted to bettering our community.

Keep up the good work and continue to be a Hometown Hero.

Hometown Hero is a weekly feature put together by Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska). If you have any suggestions of a Hometown Hero, send a short description of why you think this person should be a Hometown Hero and contact information of both you and the nominee to rep.doyle@legis.wisconsin.gov.