HPD adds another homegrown officer

• New officer sworn in

Officer Hilary Harris Lundberg, the Hudson Police Department’s newest member, was sworn in by Municipal Judge Sue Gherty at Monday’s council meeting. Her son, Gabriel, was on hand to pin on his mother’s badge. Photo by Randy Hanson

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Hilary Harris Lundberg became the newest member of the Hudson Police Department at a swearing-in ceremony Monday night at the City Council meeting. Her new badge was pinned on by her son, Gabriel, as her parents, Chuck and Vickie Harris of Hudson, looked on.

Lundberg comes to the HPD after serving seven years as a patrol officer with the Austin, Texas, police department. Her husband, Shane, is a deputy with the Travis County, Texas, sheriff’s department. Prior to her experience in Austin, Lundberg served for a time with the Minneapolis Police Department and at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater. She earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UW-Eau Claire.

Lundberg becomes the 10th officer on the HPD who has grown up in Hudson and graduated from Hudson High School. She is a member of the class of 1993 and was a classmate of Sgt. Eric Atkinson and Officer John Grass.

Her new boss, Chief Marty Jensen, said the combination of Lundberg’s experience with a much larger department and her familiarity with Hudson will be a beneficial combination to the department. “She will bring a unique perspective to the job. We are excited to have her with us,” said Jensen.

Lundberg said she and her husband, who grew up in Silver Bay, Minn., have wanted to return to the region, especially as their son, almost 4, approaches school age.

“It is the right move for Gabriel. The schools are better here and we both have family in the area. And, well, home is home,” said Lundberg.

The Austin Police Department has 1,400 officers so Lundberg said it will be something of an adjustment joining a force with less than 25 officers. “The call volume will obviously be less, but I expect that in general the work will be very similar. The complaints themselves will differ but when it comes down to it, officers do pretty much the same things wherever they work.”

In a previous interview, Lundberg said that she knew before she ever left Hudson High School that she wanted to be a police officer. She grew up in something of a legal atmosphere, her father being a Hudson attorney and her mother having served for nine years on the city of Hudson Police and Fire Commission.

By the time she reached high school, she was giving serious thought to working in law enforcement. Former Hudson Chief of Police Dick Trende and the late St. Croix County Sheriff Paul Burch were among her mentors. “Both of them had a real influence on me and my decision to become a police officer. I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Lundberg’s husband is still in Texas but plans to relocate here as soon as possible. In the meantime, Gabriel is already attending his mother’s preschool alma mater, Trinity Tots, and catching up on face time with his grandparents.

Lundberg said she plans on a long career in law enforcement and hopes to move up the ranks. She began 12 weeks of field training with the HPD on Monday.

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