AURELIA, Iowa — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa announced that Brian Flikeid, chief of police for the Aurelia and Marcus Police Departments, has been recognized as a Freedom 250 Hometown Hero.
The May 27 DOJ release says the national award is part of the Freedom 250 initiative tied to America’s 250th anniversary and honors people whose service reflects courage, generosity, liberty, and civic responsibility.
Federal officials said Chief Flikeid was selected for leadership, collaboration, and long-running work to improve how crime victims experience the criminal-justice system in northwest Iowa.
Victim-centered leadership across northwest Iowa
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Flikeid served as founding president of the board of the S.A.F.E. Center of Iowa, a model designed to create single sites where sexual-assault victims can receive care from reporting through follow-up mental-health counseling.
The release also said he currently serves on the board of the Centers Against Abuse and Sexual Assault, which provides services across 19 northwest Iowa counties, and that he helped found the Cherokee County Sexual Assault Response Team.
Flikeid was also appointed by the Iowa Police Chiefs Association to serve as its representative on Iowa’s Child Abuse Fatality Review Committee, according to federal officials.
Training officers, nurses, advocates, and state partners
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Flikeid has trained law-enforcement officers, sexual-assault nurse examiners, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services personnel, and victim advocates on victim-related issues.
That work has included presentations at the Iowa Attorney General’s Domestic Violence Conference and the Iowa National Guard’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Team, the release said. Federal officials also noted that Flikeid has testified before both the Iowa House of Representatives and Iowa Senate in support of legislation to assist victims.
Officer April Degner of the Aurelia Police Department, who nominated Flikeid, described his dedication and compassion in the DOJ release. Marcus Police Officer Jacqueline Stephens also wrote in support of the nomination, saying his work has made a lasting impact on crime victims and the community.
“Defending the lives and liberty of your neighbors”
U.S. Attorney Leif Olson said the recognition fits the civic purpose of the Freedom 250 effort.
“There’s a reason that the lawman who stands up to protect the innocent is a classic American character,” Olson said in the release. “That dedication to defending the lives and liberty of your neighbors, of taking pride in your community and making it a better place to live, are the core of the American civic spirit. Brian Flikeid exemplifies that.”
Olson presented the award to Chief Flikeid on May 22 during a ceremony at the Aurelia Community Center, according to the release.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, Department of Justice.
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