Remembering Ottawa officer Brian Sember: ‘He’s an old school type of officer’

If Officer Brian Sember gave someone a ticket, they deserved it. If Sember messed up, he’d own it before anyone could call him out.

Ottawa Police Chief Brent Roalson said he was the kind of officer that understood everyone is human. The Ottawa officer preferred resolution, solving a problem, over making an arrest.

“The one thing Brian was known for is if he gave you a ticket, you really earned it,” Roalson said. “The fact of the matter is, he’d give you a lecture and you’d listen. He’s an old school type of officer that would rather teach you a lesson than give you a ticket.”

That philosophy extends to his fellow policemen, as well.

Ottawa Police Cpt. Mike Cheatham interned under Sember in 2002 and Cheatham credits Sember for not only showing him the ropes, but also for becoming a good friend to the point of being considered family.

“It’s not just me,” Cheatham said. “That’s how he was with everybody in this department. There wasn’t a get together, wedding or birthday party he’d miss. He enjoyed each and every person he’s worked with and there isn’t a person in this building that doesn’t feel the same way.”

Cheatham said family was more important to Sember than anything, though: He would drop everything at work to be at his daughter’s softball games. He was planning his retirement in September.

Sember is survived by his fiancé, Danielle Jackson, of Ottawa; his mother, Pamela Sember, of Streator; his grandmother Betty Hoskins, of Streator; a son Brady Sember, of Streator; a daughter Brynne Sember, of Ottawa; a stepdaughter Riley Grace Bristol, of Milwaukee; stepsons Rockwell Jackson, of Ottawa; a sister Shawna Flanary, of Streator, a brother Travis Sember, of Streator; and a stepbrother Jeff Sember, of Pemberton, N.J.

Sember’s fellow officers speak highly of him and the friendships built over the years, and Cheatham said Sember’s death is devastating and unbelievable. Roalson said Sember had a boisterous, contagious laugh.

“He really was a good person all-around,” Cheatham said. “Not just at work or as an employee, but as a family member and a friend to everyone.”

Sember graduated from Streator High School in 1990 and then enlisted in the Marine Corp for four years, spending time in Okinawa, Japan. He served as a member of the Ottawa Police Department for the last 23 years.

A visitation will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, April 9, at Solon-Telford Funeral Home in Streator, followed by services starting at noon. Full military rites will be accorded by the Leslie G. Woods American Legion Post 217 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1492.

A procession of law enforcement led by Roalson and Cheatham will start at 7:45 a.m. Friday at the South Town Mall parking lot, proceeding to the wake in Streator.

Memorials may be directed to the Brian Sember’s family.