LINCOLN, ND ( KXNET ) — After recent turmoil within a small-town police department, there’s a new supervisor on the beat.

Earlier this month, Matt Giddings was sworn in as Lincoln’s new police chief. He takes over for Robyn Krile, who resigned in April.

Giddings was born in Lincoln, but previously worked for Cass County in the public defender’s office, and more recently, he was in charge of Bismarck State College’s Campus Police Department. He says his priority with a growing town is to ensure kids and families feel safe.

“Mom would kick us out during the summer,” he recalls. “We’d go out, we’d ride our bikes, we’d play, we’d come back for lunch. And then, when lunch was done, Mom would kick us back out, and we’d be able to ride around. We never had any worries about anything going on, and that was because we knew there was law enforcement in the area and we felt safe. I want that same thing for the community now. I’m not saying it doesn’t have it right now, because two weeks in, I feel as though with our department and with our officers, the community engagement has been great.”

Currently, Lincoln has eight full-time officers, and they’re hiring one more. The city’s population is now over 4,300 people.

Giddings says he hasn’t spoken with former chief Krile since he took the job.

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