Mom and daughter work together at the same police department

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV/Gray News) – A daughter in Sioux City, Iowa followed in her mother’s footsteps, becoming an officer with the city’s police department.

“She started in dispatch when I was super little,” said Briann Church, an officer with the ASAP Unit at the Sioux City Police Department. “My first childhood memories are in the Sioux City Police Department.”

Briann Church works overnights with the Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP) Unit. She ed the Sioux City Police Department five and a half years ago after starting in Corrections, but her time walking the halls of the police department started long before that.

“I was born and raised here and grew up in the PD,” she said.

Church’s mom, Heather Skogman, has been with the department for 21 years.

Raising a daughter while working inconsistent hours in law enforcement meant Skogman relied on her village. Many people in her village were officers too.

“I had some amazing role models growing up and obviously watching (my mom’s) career develop and seeing all the cool things that she got to do,” Church said. “I felt like it was kind of second nature for me to just jump right into it.”

Their mother-daughter relationship brings a lot of benefits and maybe a few challenges as well.

“We definitely get confused sometimes, especially people on the street,” Church said with a laugh. “My hair used to be blonde, and they would think I was her. Yeah, it’s an interesting dynamic, but I think it’s unique, and it’s cool.”

The pair said they sometimes get confused over the inter-department radios as well. While they don’t work the same shift very often, sometimes their paths on the streets of Sioux City do cross.

“I did come in early this weekend to help cover some shortage and she was working,” Skogman said. “So, I actually got to do some calls and stuff with her. I truly enjoy seeing her work and how professional she is and how good she is at her job.”

Church says she always knew a career in law enforcement was her destiny.

“I knew at a really young age that this is something I wanted to do,” Church said.

“I’m very, very proud of her,” Skogman said of her daughter. “She’s very much known to be one of the hardest workers in our department. I’m very proud of her.”

Copyright 2025 KTIV via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.