BP’s Busho named Peace Officer of the Year

Brad Busho knew something was up when he spotted his mother-in-law – but this isn’t the start of a bad joke.

His boss, Blooming Prairie Police Chief Greg Skillestad, had scheduled Busho for a Teddy bear project, where members of law enforcement gather Teddy bears and other stuffed animals to carry in squad cars as a tool to comfort children during traumatic incidents.

The timing – 7 a.m. – also made sense, Busho said, “because I was working. I started my shift at 4 a.m.”

His family, though, knew better.

Busho was selected to receive the Exchange Club of Steele County’s 2026 Peace Officer of the Year during a surprise presentation at the club’s regular meeting at 7 a.m. Feb. 20.

His wife Molly said the family had known for about two weeks; Skillestad said he would tell the officers they could bring members of their family to the Teddy bear event, “and (Busho) didn’t question anything.”

Until, that is, he saw Terri Grubish getting out of her vehicle at the VFW in Owatonna, “and I thought, ‘something’s up.’”

Grubish was one of several family members and friends who gathered to celebrate Busho, including his children Peyhten and Easton, and his parents Roger and Connie Busho, all of Owatonna.

Though he was familiar with the annual Exchange Club award, “that was the last thing in my head,” as he drove from Blooming Prairie, Busho said. “I was just in work mode, then … trying to process everything.”

Once he realized what was happening, Busho said, “it’s just nice to be appreciated for what you do, all the hours you put in for stuff.”

And he puts in plenty, Skillestad said.

“The city of Blooming Prairie has a population of approximately 2,000 people; our police department has four officers covering scheduled shifts,” he told the crowd. “We don’t have any detectives or investigators other than ourselves, so when it came to responding to a past-action burglary call at one of our local businesses, Office Brad Busho responded and collected very minimal evidence from the scene.”

Even with camera footage, Skillestad said, Busho had very little to go on – but he found the suspect vehicle in another city.

“It should be noted that the vehicle was not found (through) the license plate,” Skillestad said. “This took some time … by searching suspects and family members.”

The alleged burglar, a convicted felon with several serious crimes on his record, was arrested.

Busho also works as the department’s investigator for Internet Crimes Against Children; has saved an infant who was choking and solved multiple other crimes.

He always had an interest in law enforcement, he said, “and just helping people. It keeps you on your toes, right? It’s never the same, and it keeps the job exciting.”

He’s been an officer with the Blooming Prairie department for about six years; in addition to Skillestad, Busho’s first chief of police was also in attendance.

Tony Martens, who is now the BP city administrator, was the chief of police in New Richland when Busho was first starting out.

“I was very … not happy when Brad left,” Martens said. “Brad was a great officer; I was very sad to lose him because he pulled a lot of shifts, covered a lot – and everybody liked him.”

Busho also worked at the Steele County Detention Center for five years.

So, was it even more special that the investigator’s family was able to keep the award a surprise?

“Well, obviously, you want everybody here to support you, but I don’t know if it’s more special – I’m gonna have trust issues,” he laughed.