City Council Meeting Date: January 20, 2026
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Jeff Schroepfer, Chief of Police
Title
Oath of Office Ceremony for Northfield Police Department Officer Fernando Sanchez-Elioza.
Body
Action Requested:
City Clerk, Lynette Peterson, will administer the Oath or Affirmation of Office to Police Officer Fernando Sanchez-Elioza.
Summary Report:
Officer Fernando Sanchez was hired in the last several months to fill a vacancy for the position of Police Officer. We will be ceremoniously administering the Oath of Office to him as he assumes his new role in the Police Department. This ceremony will be done in person in front of the City Council.
Police Chief Jeff Schroepfer will introduce Officer Sanchez and City Clerk Lynette Peterson will administer the Oath of Office. Following the oath, Officer Sanchez’s family will pin on his badge. Councilors will then take a photo with the officer and are encouraged to congratulate the Officer on their new role. Members of the Police Department and friends and family of the new officer are expected to be in attendance and will leave the Council Chambers immediately following this agenda item.
Officer Fernando Sanchez-Elioza was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. at a very young age. He grew up in Southern California before moving to Faribault, Minnesota in 1999. Fernando has four siblings, three living in Minnesota and one in Colorado. He has been married to his wife, Angela, for the last 15 years.
Fernando attended Faribault High School and graduated from Faribault’s Bethlehem Academy. Fernando then attended St. Mary’s University in Winona where he began a Criminal Justice Degree. Unfortunately, due to a medical event with Fernando’s mother, he decided to place his education on hold and began working random jobs to provide for himself and family.
In 2006, Fernando decided to join the Faribault Police Department Reserve Unit where he got to interact with the department’s full-time officers. He enjoyed being part of community events, assisting officers on different kinds of calls, and making his community a better place to live.
In 2017, Fernando was hired as a 911 Emergency Dispatcher at the Rice Steele 911 Dispatch Center in Owatonna, where he had an opportunity to see and hear what law enforcement daily operations was really about. While dispatching at the 911 Rice Steele 911 Dispatch Center, he was also employed at the Owatonna Hospital as a Security Officer. During that time, Fernando decided to pursue a career in law enforcement.
In 2020, Fernando graduated with an Associate of Science Degree in Law Enforcement and Corrections from Riverland Community College and completed Skills Program at Rochester Community and Technical College.
In March of 2021, Fernando was hired as a Detention Deputy at the Freeborn County Adult Detention Center. In July of 2024, Fernando was hired as a Correctional Officer at the Rice County Sheriff’s Office.
In September of 2025, Fernando accepted the position as a Northfield Police Officer.
Fernando’s goals as a new Northfield Police Officer are to make Northfield a better place to live while upholding high ethical standards, integrity, and a commitment to fairness and the rule of law. Fernando is a fluent-Spanish speaking officer and enjoys helping his fellow officers to make their jobs easier when it comes to non-English speakers and Spanish speaking only community members.
During his free time, Fernando enjoys being an active member of his church, spending time with his family, traveling around the U.S., and going out for walks with his dog, Lola.
Fernando wants to thank his role models and mentors, Retired Faribault Police Sergeants Richard Watkins and Al Shuda, along with Retired Faribault Police Captain Jason Severson, his entire family, and friends for supporting him during this process, but more importantly thanks the Northfield Police Department for giving him an opportunity to work alongside the great men and women of this police department.
Finally, Fernando hopes to make a career as a Police Officer with the City of Northfield and hopes to make a positive impact in the City of Northfield and its community members.
Officer Sanchez is completing field training, where he was assigned to a Field Training Officer (FTO). The FTO works with the new officer on every shift and instructs them on learning their job as a police officer. During the field training process new officers are evaluated daily through observation and written reports of their performance by the FTO. Officers are generally in field training for their first many months on the job.
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