Northeast Community College alum Rachel Kohlman is shaping the future of Nebraska law enforcement as lead mental health instructor at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center (NLETC).
Rachel teaches de-escalation training, officer wellness training, and classes on mental health and substance abuse for law enforcement. She also volunteers with the Nebraska Critical Incident Stress Management Team and the Nebraska Serious Injury and Line of Duty Death Response Team.
Originally planning a medical career, Rachel shifted paths after exploring agricultural education and later discovered her passion for public safety.
Rachel’s family moved to the O’Neill area in 2002, where her father managed an R.D. Offutt potato farm. In 2004, she decided to join them.
“I had done some research already and knew that Northeast Community College offered a paramedic program,” she said. “I traveled back and forth to school multiple times a week to complete my associates degree for paramedic.”
She graduated in 2007 and planned to be a full-time fire medic.
“Small town ways had a different idea for me,” Rachel said. “One of the O’Neill PD guys recruited me to be a reserve officer.”
Rachel worked her first police shift in O’Neill on St. Patrick’s Day 2007. “And I thought, this is it. I can serve my community; I have all this knowledge so I can still be a volunteer on the fire service and EMS. And if a full-time position comes open, I’m going to apply for it.”
Rachel spent 14 years as a full-time sworn officer and investigator with the O’Neill Police Department. During those same years, she worked part-time as a Boyd County deputy sheriff and served as the police chief in Ewing for four years. She continued as a volunteer with O’Neill Fire and Rescue, the American Legion Riders, American Legion Auxiliary, and FFA boosters.
“I believe the best way to serve your community is to know your community,” she said.
Rachel taught defensive tactics to fellow officers while in O’Neill. She earned instructor certifications in defensive tactics and knife defense, frequently guest teaching at NLETC before being hired there full-time in 2021.
Rachel has continued her education, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and police science and a master’s degree in military and emergency responder psychology. She holds a Nebraska provisional license to be a mental health practitioner and interned at the Wholeness Healing Center in Grand Island. In addition to her job with the NLETC, she is also the part-time EAP (Employee Assistance Program) Administrator and part-time clinician at Wholeness Healing, working toward being a fully licensed mental health provider.
Looking back at her time at Northeast, Rachel said she learned several skills and values she still relies on today.
“Time management was one of those things you definitely had to know and utilize,” she said. “And I picked that up from students in the class as well as from instructors. The other major thing I learned from the instructors I had at Northeast is mentorship, knowing to pass knowledge on to the next generation.”
Rachel now lives in Polk, a small village in central Nebraska. She returns often to O’Neill to visit her mother and other family members. And she teaches law enforcement classes in the Northeast Extended Campus facility there.
“I love the fact that Northeast has really thought out their plan in adding the satellite offices,” she said. “I love being able to teach and host classes there. It’s such an asset to O’Neill and the community, allowing students to take classes without traveling to Norfolk. It also gives our high school students a real advantage by letting them take college classes while they’re still in high school. It’s an amazing opportunity for them.”
Rachel continues to mentor future officers and recommends Northeast’s criminal justice program to aspiring students, stressing the importance of mental health and community service: “Do Ride-Alongs. It is important to understand where you might want to work. Really know yourself and what you want to get out of the career. Always take care of your mental health. Know some great coping skills but also know who you can turn to in a time of need. Law enforcement is the greatest career you will ever have. It will give you a lot, but it can also take a lot from you.”
Northeast Community College encourages all alumni to share their stories by visiting northeast.edu/giving/alumni. Alumni are also encouraged to join the Northeast Community College Alumni Association group on LinkedIn by visiting www.linkedin.com/groups/1996723/.
