There is only one person that has ever eloquently paralleled being a softball umpire and a police officer but for Wayne's Domenic Consoli, the similarities are clear. The 18-year veteran of the Wayne Police Department has a 27-year history as a successful fast pitch softball umpire. "I began umpiring in 1998 and worked summer softball games which led to high school and college as I continued to improve my craft," Consoli said. "Umpires and police take pride in their appearance. Both wear black leather shoes and should look clean. Umpires wear protective chest protectors when working the plate while police wear body armor. Both are often called to de-escalate certain situations."
Consoli said both umpires and police need to make decisions which can end with one side liking the result and the other not so much. "Umpires and police officers need to be good listeners and sometimes allow someone to vent," he added.
Despite a storied career in both, Consoli will be taking his talents to the mile high city this month to take a position as an investigator with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. Dom, as he is known, has been a bright light in the Wayne community for more than two decades. His visibility in the community and his calm demeanor has made him a beacon of comfort for people in distress as well as being a friend to many on the golf course (who are sometimes in distress) and of course the softball world. He's worked for years as a college umpire for four conferences and has been a part of exhibition games with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He has also been a Wayne Teammate in the past which spanned more than a decade.
The 1986 graduate of Norfolk Catholic by way of Daytona Beach, Florida wasn't always a police officer. "My dad was transferred to Norfolk when I was 12 which was closer to my mom's family in Neligh," Dom said. "I loved playing high school football and legendary coach Jeff Bellar became head coach my senior year of high school." Bellar, who still walks the sidelines for the Knights is the all-time winningest high school football coach in Nebraska history.
Upon completion of high school he found his way to Kearney and attended college where he met his future wife Wendy Hansen, a native of Gering. "Wendy got hired by ESU #1 in speech pathology in Wakefield.
In 1994 I wasn't sure college was right for me but I knew she was, so I moved to Wayne that year. I ended up getting my CDL license and worked as a driver for Crystal Farms in Wakefield.
Dom worked under the direction of AJ Johnson for 10-plus years before Crystal Farms began downsizing. "I had a chance to relocate to Minneapolis or Kansas City but decided against it since we liked the Wayne area," he continued. "I worked at Pacific Coast & Feather under the supervision of Bob Sherman for six months before taking the test to become a police officer."
Dom applied with both the Lincoln and the Wayne police departments. He missed the original testing timeline with Norfolk P.D, because two weeks before leaving Crystal Farms he got stuck in a blizzard in Iowa. "Al Walton drove two hours in the blizzard to try and help get me back to Wayne," Consoli said. Walton is now a retired state patrol investigator. Wayne P.D had an opening and I applied, along with 13 other candidates," he added. "The list was narrowed to three so I was hoping to get the offer as I went in for a second interview."
When Dom showed up for the interview it was played off by the former police administration as if he did a nice job with the interview process and the decision was a tough one. "I just assumed at that point I didn't get the job," he said. "After a few minutes of me telling them I appreciated the opportunity to apply, they broke character and offered me the job. "We had a good laugh and my mid-life career change was happening."
The veteran policeman said building relationships is the goal every time he puts the uniform on. "One of the most rewarding parts of the job is watching as people change their lives for the better," Dom said. "People make mistakes but the ones that are able to make the adjustments, whether it be through the legal system or other outside influence is rewarding."
There are certain cases, however, that Dom said sticks out in his mind. One is the armed robbery at Casey's several years ago. "I was working a night shift and it had started to rain and I had just stopped on the south side of Wayne to talk with my coworker who was also on patrol," Consoli said. "Our dispatch center advised us that an armed robbery had just taken place at the business and they believed the suspect left on foot. As we approached the area I just remember how calm the dispatcher and my other coworker were. We also had a Wayne County Deputy who announced he was also responding and all three of us arrived at about the same time. The other officer and the deputy began canvassing the area for the suspect based on description we had received. As I entered the business I was met with a look of shock and disbelief from the employees from what had just happened."
Dom added that it took a great team effort from several law enforcement members and the attorney's office which led to the suspect being arrested and brought before the court. "The biggest thing I remember about that incident was not being nervous but just responding to a highly volatile crime," he said. "I believe 100 percent the resolve I felt was because of the training I had received from many great officers who I had worked with throughout my career."
One of the positive things for Dom and Wendy as they move this week to Colorado is being able to be closer to their son Aidan, a 2020 graduate of Wayne High School. "We will be about half hour from Aidan which we are excited about," he said. "We've talked about this for a couple years that if the timing was right we would make the move."
A major move in a career can be bittersweet because of the fondness the Consolis have for the Wayne community. Wendy has already found a job in speech pathology in the area after retiring from the ESU recently. "I hope as I leave the City of Wayne that I've passed some of the knowledge I've accumulated to the newer and younger officers," Dom said. One thing Dom can take solace in as he departs the community is a legacy of true-blue professionalism and the heart of a Lion.
