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Launch the media gallery 1 playerWhere Are They Now--If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It! Justin Buhlke, Class of 2003
November 20, 2019
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Burwell High School is excited to continue to feature alumni and their accomplishments. We hope this will inspire and encourage current BHS students! This month we feature 2003 grad, Justin Buhlke. Check out his questionnaire and pictures of him at work! If you or someone you know is interested in this profession, please contact Trooper Buhlke. He would be happy to talk to you about the requirements, application process and how this agency can benefit them!
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-Name: Justin Buhlke
-Graduation Year: 2003
-Where do you reside: North Platte, NE
-Education, Schools Attended, Degrees Attained:
Burwell Jr.-Sr. High School & Mid Plains Community College Associate of Arts in General Studies & Law Enforcement
-What is your current job and how did you get started there? What kinds of things do you do in your job?
Sergeant – Patrol Division, Nebraska State Patrol in North Platte. Hired with NSP and began training in 2005 at the training academy in Grand Island, assigned to Carrier Division in 2006 in North Platte until transferring to the Patrol (Traffic) division in 2008 in North Platte. Promoted to rank of Sergeant in the Patrol Division in 2018. I currently have 14 years of service with NSP.
My current position includes responding to calls for service for example; vehicle crashes, domestic disturbances, traffic complaints, motorist assists, assistance to allied law enforcement agencies and routine patrols. This is in addition to supervision duties of supervising 4-6 troopers and making sure they have all the supplies they need, reviewing/approving arrest and crash reports, approving timecards, shift scheduling, supply inventory and providing supervisory coverage for the night shift covering a 27 county area of Nebraska.
-Have you had any other jobs/careers of interest?
I’ve never had any other careers of interest. I’ve wanted to become a Nebraska State Trooper since Jr. High.
-Do you ever come back to Burwell?
Yes. My family and I travel back to Burwell several times a year. We love Burwell and never miss Nebraska’s Big Rodeo, deer season or a stop by the Pizza Palace!
What is your favorite memory of Burwell High School?
My favorite memory of BHS was when I went to school there, I knew almost everyone in the school.
-How did your experience at BHS impact your career/life path?
During my time at BHS, I was heavily involved in music. After high school, I received a music scholarship to Mid Plains Community College in North Platte that paid for nearly 50% of my tuition towards the education and career that I now have.
-What piece of advice would you give current BHS students?
Take the education you get in high school seriously and enjoy your time there. As much as you might think, “I’ll never use this information I’m learning now”, believe me you will. I can’t count the times I’ve encountered something in my job that reminds me of something I remembered learning in high school. The law enforcement profession is a rewarding and sometimes challenging career that can afford you many opportunities. I’d be happy to speak to anyone interested in a career in law enforcement or the Nebraska State Patrol. NSP offers some unique career opportunities that some may not realize.
-What are your hobbies?
Tournament bass fishing is my favorite hobby as I love the competition and friendship among the anglers. I participate in approximately 20 tournaments a year throughout the state of Nebraska and sometimes neighboring states as well. I wish there was a better population of bass in the Calamus for another excuse to get away to come back to Burwell!
-What was the last book you read? Did you like it?
Probably the Bass Pro Shop catalog because I love it and they send me new ones every couple months! Don’t have the attention span for much else.
-What was the last movie you watched? Did you like it?
Last movie I watched in theatre was Toy Story 4. I liked it because my two year old son Greyson loved it!
-What is your favorite place to vacation? Why?
Honestly, Burwell. My wife Elizabeth and I block out vacation time for rodeo weekend every year to come to Burwell taking in the parade, rodeo performance the lake. It’s nice to spend some time with my parents, my brother and his wife and friends from high school. If not there, any lake that I’m on the front deck of my bass boat.
-What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
Being successful in life. The NSP has afforded me a great career, my wife and I own our home and we have a two year old son, Greyson that we love very much. I’ve always had the support and encouragement from my family and parents for anything I’ve ever done. For those reasons, what I consider being successful in life is my greatest accomplishment.
