The newest Jefferson Police Officer has local ties.

Shaydon Thurman is a Leon, Iowa native, but moved with his family to Churdan after his sixth grade year, and attended the Paton-Churdan School District, where he graduated high school in 2023. While in high school. Thurman says he completed one year of college with dual credit classes, and then finished his associates degree in business economics from Iowa Central Community College the past year.

Thurman tells Raccoon Valley Radio that he was working the past four years at Greene County Medical Center in the kitchen/cafeteria area where he was last promoted to a head cook/supervisor role. He talks about where his inspiration to be in law enforcement came from.

“The whole taste for it came from my father because he was a military police (officer), he was also a cop when he got out of the service. So he would always be in our ears, me and my brother’s, giving us that ‘law enforcement talk’ saying it was always an option, and I finally took that option.”

Thurman states that his mom and dad served in the US Navy and that his mom is a teacher with the Paton-Churdan School District and is an emergency medical technician with the Churdan Rescue Team and the Greene County Ambulance Department. He was officially hired as the eighth and final officer for the Jefferson Police Department by the City Council at their most recent meeting on May 27th. He describes how he felt in the moment before the Council approved him as an officer.

“It was actually really nerve racking when I was sitting in my seat preparing what to say, I was getting a little shaky. But you know, I was able to get up there and I think give a well introduction to myself for a short period of time. But yeah, after I heard all of the ‘ayes’ for the hirement, I was pretty excited.” 

Thurman is looking forward to learning as much as he can about the community and working with others within the department and the community as a whole. Thurman is scheduled to attend the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy certification training later this winter.