By CJ Baker
Powell police promoted one of their own at a Friday ceremony, with officer Sean Alquist formally becoming a sergeant.

Alquist received his new pins and congratulations from Chief Roy Eckerdt and Powell Mayor John Wetzel at City Hall.

As a sergeant, Alquist will continue to patrol the city’s streets, but he’ll also be tasked with supervising the other officers on his squad, helping to inspire, train and mentor them.

Eckerdt called the position the most challenging role in law enforcement.

“If you envision an hourglass, and that choke point in the middle? You’ve got the sergeant,” Eckerdt said. “They’re catching everything coming from the top, they’re catching everything coming from the bottom and orchestrating everything that happens in between — that point of communication, that flow holds it all together.”

Before readministering Alquist’s oath of office, Wetzel praised the Powell Police Department. The mayor said he gets phone calls when things aren’t going well, and “I’ve always been able to stand up here and say I don’t get any phone calls [about the police] — and I appreciate that. You guys do a good job.”

After graduating from Powell High School in 2009, Alquist served two years with the Greybull Police Department, then served in the U.S. Army’s Airborne Infantry. He was stationed in Italy and helped train NATO forces from countries like Lithuania, Latvia and Slovenia.

However, he ultimately felt called back to law enforcement and to Powell, joining the Powell Police Department in July 2019.

Alquist’s promotion was the latest in a series of changes at the department. He’s one of the three sergeants in the organization and the other two, Sgts. Matt Brilakis and Dustin DelBiaggio, were promoted to their roles in February. At that same time, Matt McCaslin was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Additionally, the department just hired a new officer to fill a vacant position; he’ll start in early June.

(Tribune News Editor Kevin Killough contributed reporting.)