With just three days under his belt as the top cop in Salina, Chief of Police Brad Nelson did a meet and greet with members of the media on Thursday, “I went to a lot of meetings and I’ve met a lot of officers,” he said.

“I certainly enjoyed it and people have been very friendly.”

Nelson, who has 29-years of law enforcement experience, was named Chief in late October following the retirement of former Police Chief Jim Hill.

“I’m not a change agent, I’m not here to change what’s not broken,” he said.

Nelson pointed at his years of training on the street and in the office as his guide to leading SPD.

“Certainly I think we can tweak some things so I think we can move forward, and we will.”

Nelson held the rank of captain for over eight of his 21 years at the Columbia Police Department.

Prior to this, Nelson was with the Excelsior Springs, Missouri Police Department for eight years. He left the department as a patrol sergeant after being hired by Columbia.

Nelson also has military experience through the United States Air Force Reserve.
Nelson holds a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Central Missouri State and a masters degree in

Public Administration from the University of Missouri. He is a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy and the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command.

Chief Nelson was chosen from a field of 38 candidates from around the country who applied for the position. His first day on the job was December 2nd.