Back the Blue
TeamWORK
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
At any major emergency or crime in Webster County, law enforcement officers wearing dark blue, brown or tan and green uniforms will be seen.
The same can be said for big special events like Frontier Days and the Fourth of July celebration in Gowrie. There will be plenty of officers wearing those different colored uniforms all working together to make sure everything is orderly and safe.
We’re very fortunate in this part of the state. If we need help then here comes the cavalry.
” “
Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener
The dark blue uniforms are worn by the city police officers in Fort Dodge and Gowrie.
The brown uniforms are worn by the Iowa State Patrol troopers.
And the tan and green uniforms are worn by the deputies of the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.
And in Webster County, the three agencies work together daily, supporting each other through the full range of things, both good and bad, that law enforcement officers deal with.
“If I call for help, before I know it we have more cop cars in the town of Gowrie than we have people,” Gowrie Police Chief Molly Anderson said.
is key for officers throughout Webster County
Added Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener
“We’re very fortunate in this part of the state. If we need help then here comes the cavalry.”
Fleener said the kind of teamwork displayed every day in Webster County isn’t always the norm in other parts of the state.
Fort Dodge Police Chief Dennis Quinn said the local cooperation stems in part from the fact that local officers are “growing up in the ranks with each other.”
Always tight municipal budgets that limit how many officers an agency can have makes cooperation essential, he said.
“We’ve got to figure out ways to get the job done,” he said. “No task is too big or two small.”
Webster County Sheriff’s Department
Groundbreaking for Pastor Al’s Pavilion at Kennedy Park last fall
Outside Dunkin Donuts from Cop on a Rooftop last spring
Fort Dodge Police Department
Iowa State Patrol District 7
Webster County Sheriff Reserve
Webster County Dispatch
BRIAN HITCHCOCK 911 Director LEANNA OBERHELMAN Center Training Officer PATRICIA NOLAN Center Training Officer CHRISTY LUMSDEN Communications Manager ALISSE WILLIS Dispatcher
AVERY HENDRICKSON Dispatcher CURTIS BARKER Dispatcher
JOSI PHAL Dispatcher
KATELYN GANZEVELD Dispatcher
ASHLEE LANSMAN Dispatcher
SAMANTHA PARMAN Dispatcher ANNA MARTINEZ Dispatcher
STEPHANIE FELDHANS Dispatcher
Webster County Jail Staff
Fort Dodge event will raise money for Iowa C.O.P.S.
By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net
Northwest Iowa
Thin Blue Line Gala
Saturday, April 25th
Laramar Ballroom
5:00 p.m.
General admission is $50
Admission for current and retired law enforcement officers is $35
State group offers support when tragedy strikes
A formal ball set for April in Fort Dodge will raise money for a state group that supports police officers and their families when an officer dies in the line of duty.
The event is the Northwest Iowa Thin Blue Line Gala. It will be held April 25 in the Laramar Ballroom, 710 First Ave. N. It will feature music by Spencer Suchan, a silent auction and presentations by Storm Lake Police Chief Chris Cole and Algona Police Chief Bo Miller. Doors will open at 5 p.m.
General admission is $50. Admission for current and retired law enforcement officers is $35.
Formal attire is requested.
The Crossroads Hotel & Event center, 1518 Third Ave. N.W., and Brookstone Inn & Suites, 5 S. 32nd St., will be the host hotels for the gala. Guest should mention the gala when booking rooms. Both hotels will offer shuttle service to and from the Laramar Ballroom if requested.
“This will be the first of many, we hope,” Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener said of the upcoming event.
All money raised at the gala will be donated to Iowa Cops, a group founded by survivors of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. Fleener said the organization’s sole goal is to provide support when tragedy strikes.
He said after a death when law enforcement agencies and families are dealing with so much, the Iowa Cops team steps in and lightens the burden by taking care of all kinds of details, such as organizing the funeral procession.
Fleener described the group’s services as “an essential tool you hope you never need”. The local group Serving Our Servants donates to Iowa Cops, according to TJ Pingel, the president of Serving Our Servants.
