New CCPD officer returns to his roots

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Brandon Fairholm is Charles City born and raised.

So it was a homecoming of sorts for the 2014 Charles City High School graduate after he was hired this month as a full-time police officer back in his hometown.

“Coming back home, it was a hard decision to make, but it was smart,” said Fairholm.

Fairholm enlisted in the Marine Corps right out of high school and was stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, California. After he served his five-year military obligation he made an important decision.

“The day after I got out of the Marine Corps, the (Charles City) Police Department posted the job opening. I was like, well this has got to be like written in the stars. It’s got to be a sign,” Fairholm said, smiling.

Fairholm, 24, is the latest full-time officer hired at the CCPD.

Chief Hugh Anderson hired Officer Jordan Smith in December and Anderson is still looking for one more officer to round out his 14-person force.

Fairholm will do his 16-week Iowa Law Enforcement Academy training at Camp Dodge in Johnston starting in April.

Fairholm said he is looking to follow the same career path in law enforcement as his cousin, Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy Cody Van Horn.

“I really looked up to him as a kid,” said Fairholm.

Van Horn was an officer for the Police Department for a number of years before being hired as a sheriff’s deputy in 2017.

Fairholm said he thought about entering the field of law enforcement right after high school, but his life path took him in another direction.

“I was going to go to college for criminal justice, but recruiters are really good at talking you into things,” smiled Fairholm. “As I was getting out I was kind of thinking, what I should do and try figure out my life after the Marine Corps.”

Fairholm was a Huey crew chief in the Marines.

“I flew in the back of helicopters. I was a door gunner,” he said.

He was deployed in Okinawa, Japan, for four months and later patrolled the East China Sea for three months on a Navy ship.

He said he learned in the Marines to expect nothing but the best out of what he tries to accomplish.

“Holding yourself to a higher standard has kind of been driven into my brain since I was 18 years old,” Fairholm said.

He said he understands that discipline and leadership are traits that work well in his new profession.

“I like the whole like good order and discipline thing. I like the responsibility,” said Fairholm. “The leadership I think is probably my favorite aspect of the job – having people within the community look up to me in some way, shape or form, as I did to police officers when I was a kid.”

Fairholm said he is excited to be involved in the community.

“I like that whole community interaction thing. I think that’s what police officers should be here for – community interaction to like show faith that we’re not bad guys and we’re not just out to get you. We’re humans, too,” said Fairholm.