Supervisors approve replacement for Sheriff's Office gang task force deputy

Oct. 04--In an effort to assist the already "thin" Story County Sheriff's Office staff, the Board of Supervisors approved the sheriff's request on Tuesday to appoint a new deputy to fill a vacancy that will be created after another deputy is sent to serve with the FBI-sponsored Central Iowa Gang Task Force.

The board approved the appointment of a new deputy effective Jan. 1, 2018, which, according to Board Chair Rick Sanders, made sense, given not only the "bare bones" patrol division of the sheriff's office, but also the opportunity of working with an agency such as the FBI.

"What a huge credit to you guys (at the sheriff's office), but really Story County as a whole that the FBI would seek us out to participate in this," Sanders said. "It speaks to the professionalism and credibility that your office carries, and we're all better because of that."

Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald told the board that he was approached in August by the FBI office in Des Moines to see if Story County would like to join the Central Iowa Gang Task Force (CIGTF), based on its proximity to the Des Moines metro area, and its positive reputation. The position requires one deputy to commit to joining the task force, with the position being funded by the FBI.

"Since our office is involved full-time with this task force, we will get special recognition should we need the assets and resources," Fitzgerald said.

However, with the position, an opening is created in the patrol division. Prior to moving into the current justice center in 2002, Fitzgerald said that patrol division was at 18. Fast forward to today, and even with the larger size of the justice center, that number remains at 18.

"It's been like that for most of my tenure as sheriff," Fitzgerald said. "A few years ago when you all (the board) gave us that dispatch position back that we lost, and our overtime literally just went away."

In 2016, Fitzgerald said the sheriff's office began sending one deputy every six months to train with Interpol in Washington, D.C., on various issues such as sex trafficking, and this past August he has to discontinue that because of his low numbers on patrol.

"They told us that whenever we get the strength back that we're welcomed back and that they'd love to have us because they like working with Story County, but they understand my first need is here in Story County," Fitzgerald said.

Supervisor Lauris Olson asked Fitzgerald why having a deputy on the task force would benefit the residents of Story County. Fitzgerald said the Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative was established in 1992 so that every law enforcement agency across the country could address violent street gangs and drug-related violence through this FBI-sponsored task force. However, he said that even in Story County the world has changed since the initiative was launched.

"In 1992, Story County was a pretty quiet place, and now look at what has happened," Fitzgerald said. "We're not in the same place we were in 1992; the world's not in the same place it was back in 1992."

Fitzgerald also referenced the drive-by shooting in Campustown earlier this year that sent three people to the hospital. Those men were found in Fort Dodge, which Fitzgerald described as one of the points of a triangle, with Marshalltown and Des Moines, areas that Fitzgerald said have higher gang activity.

According to Sheriff's Office Capt. Barry Thomas, even though the deputy would be working out of Des Moines, they would still be a sheriff's office employee, and could be brought back in as needed.

"One thing that's very nice for us if we do participate in this, is that if there's something where Story County has a need, we have the resources of the FBI. Because of our membership on that task force, they will come and give us all they have to help us with the things we're dealing with right her in Story County," Thomas said. "When we get the opportunity to work closely with a partner that helps us gain intel where we can actively help keep the citizens of Story County safe, that's something that's paramount for us to be involved in."

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