Sheriff settles into new role

It was a Monday morning that will stick with Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle for the rest of his life. Standing in front of friends, family and otherelected officials, Grossnickle recited his oath of office Jan. 7.

“It was an overwhelming and humbling experience,” Grossnickle said.

In the weeks following the oath, Grossnickle’s attention has primarily focused on reorganizing the office. Grossnickle said the reorganization has taken longerthan he anticipated, describing it as the biggest challenge he’s faced so far. In that reorganization, Grossnickle said he’s also fostering a more collaborative approach to the law enforcement work the sheriff’s office is tasked with, saying he seeks to encourage an approach that not only benefits everyone, but reflects more than a few points of view.

“I’m not a ‘my way or no way’ guy,” he said.

He also seeks to extend that cooperative approach with other county agencies the sheriff’s office works with, such as the county commissioners and the human resources department. Specifically working with those two groups, Grossnickle said he wants to foster positive and open communication with the commissioners.

Grossnickle also works on his vision of policing in the 21st century, a cornerstone of which is fostering more public input regarding his office’s activities. Grossnickle said he’s working to establish town hall meetings with the outlying communities throughout the county. He said the meetings haven’t been scheduled yet, but said those meetings will likely occur prior to manytowns’ council meetings. He also said outreach at venues like the county’s senior centers will be done with more than one deputy as a means ofintroducing them to variedpeople and roles within the sheriff’s office. Grossnickle said he also plans to host some of the meetings as well. Grossnickle hopes to host town hall meetings throughout the county on a quarterly basis, believing the meetings

and community outreach will be a refreshing change for Sweetwater County’s communities.

Entering his 23rd year in law enforcement, Grossnickle said the career always changes and he desires to keep up with those changes as law enforcement evolves. So far, he said the interactions with county residents has been positive, saying people approach him at the post office or grocery store to talk with him about the sheriff’s office.

“It reflects what people want out of law enforcement,” he said.

 

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