By the time Braden Hancock
graduated high
school in Arizona, he
knew he wanted to move to Wyoming.
And by age 19, Hancock
had set his mind on becoming a
police officer.
He recently accomplished
both those goals —
moving to Powell
in September and
being sworn in as
Powell Police Department’s
newest
officer last week.
Hancock is just
21 — the minimum
age to be a
patrol officer in
Wyoming — but
he already brings
a year-and-a-half
of law enforcement
experience, having
worked as a detention deputy
with the Coconino County, Arizona,
Sheriff’s Office.
Hancock said he was drawn
to law enforcement because of
the opportunity “to be out in the
community, being able to help
people out, meet people” and
have positive interactions.
“… How you treat people is
how they’ll treat you, is what
I believe,” Hancock said; he
recalled how, during his time
as a jailer, former inmates
would greet him at places like
Walmart.
The town where Hanock
worked, Page, Arizona, is not
much bigger than Powell, with
a population of around 7,500.
Hancock said he’s not a fan
of big cities, so when he visited
Powell for the first time
last summer, Hancock said he
loved the small town feel.
“Coming up and visiting, it
was just about perfect,” he said.
Although he grew up in Arizona,
Hancock has
family in the Powell
area — and he
appreciates Wyoming’s
many opportunities
to hunt
and do “anything
and everything
outdoors.”
“I mean, we’re
within an hour of
anything you want
to do here,” Hancock
said.
The Powell City
Council formally
welcomed Hancock at its Jan.
21 meeting, where Council
President Jim Hillberry swore
him in as an officer and Police
Chief Roy Eckerdt presented
the new recruit with his badge.
The chief said the ceremony
is a big moment in an officer’s
career.
“Nowhere on this badge do
you see our name. It says, City
of Powell,” Eckerdt told Hancock
and those in attendance.
“So this badge represents all
the citizens of the city of Powell
and the trust that’s put into us
[for] the performance of our
duties.”
Now in the middle of a
months-long training process,
Hancock described his new duties
as a patrol officer as “pretty
familiar.”
“You’ve got differences between
the states, but overall
it’s the same goal, same task at
hand,” Hancock said.
He’s continuing to work on
completing a degree in criminal
justice.

By: CJ Baker
Powell Tribune