At last week’s Powell City Council meeting, the mayor swore in another officer to the Powell police force.

Dustin DelBiaggio is the newest cop on the force. A native of California, DelBiaggio doesn’t have much of a West Coast accent, and with his friendly demeanor, he could easily pass for a native of Powell.

Perhaps that has something to do with the fact he’s not from one of California’s megacities. DelBiaggio comes to Powell from Ferndale, a town of less than 1,500 people in the Redwood forests of Humbolt County near the ocean. He was a deputy with the Humbolt County Sheriff’s Office for five years.

DelBiaggio and his wife, Tierra, were looking for a change, but they weren’t looking to move to a city.

“We both wanted for some time to expand our horizons,” DelBiaggio said.

Earlier this year, they made a trip out to the area and liked what they saw.

“I guess you can say we fell in love with place. You got that same small town feel,” the officer said.

Seeing the job opening here in Powell, DelBiaggio said he was “super excited” and discussed with his wife about how they could make the move here a reality.

DelBiaggio got interested in the career field after doing some ride alongs with some friends who were in law enforcement; he also had a friend who worked as a correctional officer.

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“I got some interest there,” DelBiaggio said.

Eventually, he completed the academy in California and soon began working for the sheriff’s office. DelBiaggio said he’s enjoyed his career.

“I like being able to help make a difference in the community,” he said. “It’s great to help people find solutions to their problems.”

He didn’t have a lot to do to get his credentials to be a police officer in Wyoming. There was about two weeks of testing down in Douglas, and he was ready to go.

“It’s a super condensed version of the academy,” he said.

Besides his wife, he comes to Powell with three girls and a boy.

“I’m outnumbered,” he joked.

DelBiaggio said he’s really enjoying the community of Powell and is happy to be on the force here. “The community is super welcoming,” he said.

Editor's note: The original version of this story said that DelBiaggio's hire put the Powell Police Department back at full staff. The department actually reached full staff in July, with the hiring of Officer Sean Alquist. With DelBiaggo coming on board, the department temporarily has 18 sworn officers — one more than full strength. Staffing is expected to drop back to 17 officers with a retirement in December. Prior to Alquist's hiring, the department had been short-staffed since June 2018.

By Kevin Killough, Powell Tribune