Sheriff Dan Marx Pins Badge as Son Takes Oath

DECORAH -- The Decorah City Council convened for a brief meeting on Monday, April 1 for the swearing in of Officer Will Marx to the Decorah Police Department and the proclamation of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Swearing-In Ceremony Police Chief Tricia Thein took the opportunity to introduce Decorah Police Department's newest Officer Will Marx to meeting attendees. "We started our hiring process in December as far as opening up applications, and it is a grueling process, an exhausting process, and a tiring process. The applicants have competition from physical agility, to psychological testing, to written testing, to medical testing, to the interview process, and then, if they pass all that, we have to hope that they are a good fit for the Police Department, the Decorah family, and that we are a good fit for them and their family; and sometimes, the stars align and everything works out wonderfully, and we end up with a wonderful candidate. Our newest officer, I want to introduce to you, Will Marx," Thein said. Marx was sworn in with both Thein and his father, Sheriff Dan Marx, looking on. At the end of the ceremony, Sheriff Marx pinned a newly earned badge to his son's chest to the sound of applause from onlookers in attendance, and straightened his tie for good measure. Officer Marx is a Decorah native and a Decorah High School graduate. His next step will be training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. April Proclamation Sexual Assault Therapist Mindy Meyers from Riverview Center was invited to the meeting to read aloud a new proclamation that established April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month for the City of Decorah. "We're just asking that you proclaim April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the City of Decorah. I have the proclamation, but in the interest of time for the game, I could not read it, and you could just proclaim it as such," Meyers told the council. "Well, it's not very long, and I think it would be right to have you read it," Mayor Lorraine Borowski responded. The proclamation acknowledged the importance and significance of Sexual Assault prevention and recovery for the community, as well as acknowledging the need for education and information on the topic. The meeting was planned to be as short as possible so that attendees could return home to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes play the LSU Tigers.