Investigations Division
The Investigations division for the Colfax County Sheriff was established previously as a part-time position, however in 2019 under Sheriff Messerlie the Division was implemented full-time.
Brett Struebing graduated from the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center on December 2003, and officially became a member of the Colfax County, Nebraska Sheriff’s Office soon thereafter (2003) . In January 2019, Brett was promoted to Investigator for the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigator Struebing is currently an affiliate member of the Nebraska Internet Crimes Against Children (I.C.A.C.) Task Force, a member of the Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force, and a member of the Colfax County, Nebraska Multi-Disciplinary Team. In September 2023, Investigator Struebing received Nebraska Special Deputy State Sheriff credentials, for the purpose of assisting him in the investigation of I.C.A.C. and human trafficking cases. The I.C.A.C. Task Force is a nationwide task force dedicated to combating technology facilitated crimes against children by predators seeking unsupervised contact with potential underaged victims. The Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force is a task force dedicated to combating crimes involving the forced labor or sexual involuntary servitude of children and/or adults. The Colfax County, Nebraska Multi-Disciplinary Team is a joint effort, comprised of local law enforcement members, the Colfax County, Nebraska County Attorney’s Office, and members of other local organizations, for the purpose of coordinating investigative efforts regarding child abuse/neglect cases involving children who are alleged to have been victims of child abuse/neglect in Colfax County, Nebraska.
Since being commissioned, Investigator Struebing has received training and has experience in conducting various types of felony and misdemeanor criminal investigations to include the offenses of assault, sexual assault, domestic abuse/assault, human trafficking (labor/sexual), child abuse/neglect, child exploitation, child death/homicide investigation, strangulation, stalking, internet crimes, “sextortion,” social media crimes, school shootings, narcotics manufacturing, narcotics distribution, narcotics possession, fraud, burglary, theft, motor vehicle accident investigation, and driving under the influence investigation. Furthermore, Investigator Struebing has received advanced training on various law enforcement-related topics to include arrest/search/seizure, first amendment rights, law enforcement ethics, duty to intercede, psychology-based interview and interrogation techniques, trauma-informed interview techniques, mental health/crisis intervention, suicide and self-harm death investigations, substance abuse awareness, advanced criminal investigations, multidisciplinary team protocol and procedure, de-escalation techniques, criminal intelligence gathering, open-source intelligence gathering, digital evidence collection/analysis, touch DNA collection, and evidence collection/control/storage.
As Investigator for the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office, Investigator Struebing is responsible for a wide array of duties to include the investigation of crimes committed in Colfax County, overseeing the Colfax County Sex Offender Registry, and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Child and Family Services intakes. Additionally, Investigator Struebing assists other law enforcement officers and agencies with criminal investigations.