Over the course of 43 years, a person can amass a lot of memories, both good and bad, and Carroll County Sheriff Doug Bass says there are many that come to mind as he looks back over his career. He is proud of having been chosen to act as a guard during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Des Moines in Oct. of 1979 and the 1996 Olympics in Georgia. Conversely, he has seen mass tragedies as well when he assisted at the crash site in Sioux City of United Airlines Flight 232 in July of 1989. These, he said are things he will never forget, but so many of the memories that have come flooding back since announcing his retirement this past Monday involve local people. He said one case in particular comes readily to mind when the Sheriff’s Office was asked by the Coon Rapids Police Department to assist with locating a little girl who had been reported missing.
He is also proud of the work they do on cases to bring justice to victims and their families; like getting the double murder conviction of a Lake City man for killings committed in Glidden. He said the job has not been without its challenges, particularly with the climate shift towards law enforcement in recent years. Being in Carroll County, however, has shown him that not everyone holds those same attitudes.
And when discussing what attributes it takes for men and women to do this tough job, day-in and day-out, Bass says it boils down to a simple concept that was taught to him very early in life.
There have been a lot of tough situations, some when he has known the people involved in unfortunate events. And whether he knew them or not, he empathized with each and every one of them.
This empathy, his sense of fair play and his work to protect the people of Carroll County has resulted in Bass being chosen by the American Legion as the Iowa Law Enforcement officer of the Year for the State of Iowa. He will be receiving this special recognition during a ceremony at the Arcadia American Legion on Monday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. He is also now being considered as the National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year through the American Legion. Bass announced Monday he will be retiring as Sheriff of Carroll County effective March 15. He has made a recommendation to the Carroll County Board of Supervisors that Chief Deputy Ken Pingrey be appointed to the Sheriff’s position.
