The new police chief in Milford has been working in law enforcement since 1999 and had the chance to learn under former Milford police chief Forrest Siebken before he took over.
Darrin Kremer has been with the Milford police department since April 2022. He previously worked in law enforcement in Alliance, Ainsworth, Lincoln where he worked for the Nebraska Department of Revenue and the lottery division as an investigator and in Lewisburg, Kansas.
After accepting the job in Milford in April of 2022, Kremer worked part-time while also working with the Department of Revenue, but came back to Milford full-time in March.
“I stayed here the whole time and worked for the city,” he said. “I continued to work for the city because of the love I have for Milford. It’s a good community with good people.”
On March 27, Kremer was officially sworn in as chief. He said he knew right away he wanted the position.
“When the chief position opened up, I applied for it,” he said. “When they offered it to me, I knew I couldn’t say no.”
Along with enjoying the community, Kremer said he wanted to be back in Milford because he has a lot of relatives who live in town.
“My mom currently lives here, a lot of my aunt and uncles live here and some of my cousins,” he said. “I’ve been here on and off my whole life.”
As for any changes to the department, Kremer said he doesn’t have any big ones in mind.
“Chief Siebken left the department in a really good position,” he said. “He did a great job with his time here.”
Although there aren’t any big changes on the horizon, Kremer said he does want to make some smaller changes. He said he wants to work on getting more people hired.
“When I came in April, we were fully staffed for a little while,” he said. “We’ve been short-handed ever since.”
Kremer also mentioned they will continue to stay in the schools and continue the DARE program.
“Those things are important, not just to the community, but for the connections we make with the kids,” he said. “It’s about being approachable.”
Before Siebken retired, Kremer got the opportunity to learn under him. Although Kremer knew how to be a cop, he said he learned quite a bit on the administrative side.
“There’s a lot more to it than I thought,” Kremer said. “I still reach out to him for his advice and his knowledge base.”
Now starting as the chief, Kremer wants the people to know that the department is very approachable.
“I have an open-door policy. It’s always open,” he said. “I freely give out my cell phone and if they want to come to talk to me and tell me their concerns, I’ll listen.”
Kremer also said he plans to make the night officers accessible to the community.
“I look forward to meeting as many people as I can,” he said.
