On call, serving Hazen
By Daniel Arens
On Jan. 11, a new police officer went on call for the community.
Jesse Folkerts has lived in Hazen his entire life, so his face is familiar to many, but his uniform may not be as well-known.
Folkerts was brought onto the force after the retirement of former Hazen Police Chief Chuck Dahl at the end of 2017. Another veteran police officer, Jim Wolff, became the new police chief, and Folkerts came on board to fill the patrol position opened by Wolff’s promotion.
Folkerts, however, is not only already familiar with Hazen. He also knows a lot of the ins-and-outs of law enforcement.
“I worked for the jail for the county since July of 2014,” he said. He explained his duties with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department as maintaining the safety of the jail inmates and the facility, as well as being crosstrained for dispatch.
