ELKADER WELCOMES NEW OFFICER
Elkader police officer Tyler Bazyn enjoys a light-hearted moment with Central elementary students.
Tyler Bazyn
By Pat McTaggart
Freelance Writer
There is a new, but familiar, face at the Elkader Police Department. Central graduate Tyler Bazyn was hired by the Elkader City Council on November 23.
“I worked for about a month with Chief Seitz and Officer Van Horn as training officers before going to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy,” he said. After 16 weeks of training, I graduated on April 18.”
Bazyn is following in his father’s footsteps. Paul Bazyn spent several years as a police officer, and served as the community’s Chief of Police.
“This is something I always wanted to do,” said Tyler. “I looked up to my father as a role model. I finally got the opportunity to serve as a police officer.”
After graduating from Central, Bazyn attended Simpson College for two years, taking courses in criminal justice. He left college in 2010 and worked for Moyna Construction for a few months before becoming a jailer in Fayette County for three years. Another four years were spent at Pattison Sand.
“I was talking to Chief Seitz a while back and he told me that there would be some positions opening up here,” he said. “When one became available, I applied and was accepted. With dad being a police officer, I kind of understood how things worked.”
Bazyn agrees with Chief Seitz’s philosophy of the job of a police officer. “We are here to keep the peace more than law enforcement,” he said. “We are out there to provide for public safety, and that is our main objective. We have to be pro-active, not reactive, in deterring crime.”
He also prefers working in a small town environment. “In this job you never know what you are going to deal with on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “In a small town you know the business owners and the residents, and you can build a better bond with them than you can in the city.”
Tyler’s wife, Emily, works at Gifford Insurance. They recently purchased a house on the east side of Elkader. “There is definitely a connection with my home town, which is why I am happy that I got this position,” Tyler said. “Growing up in Elkader makes you want to stay here. We are looking forward to raising a family here.”
