Pals looks back on almost half a century of law enforcement in North Iowa
By MARY PIEPER – Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa (TNS)
Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals, who is retiring Dec. 31 after more than 45 years in law enforcement, first became involved in that career field as a teen.
When he was a senior at Clear Lake High School, the town’s police department started a reserve program.
Pals said that sparked his interest, and he joined the Clear Lake Police Department as a dispatcher in August 1978, just a few months after high school graduation.
“I was hooked,” he said. “I’ve always just loved law enforcement. I’ve never regretted going into law enforcement. I have always liked my job everywhere I’ve worked. I haven’t always had all good days, but I’m not sure anyone does.”
Pals worked for the Clear Lake Police Department until January 1980, when the Winona County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota hired him. He initially served as a dispatcher and then worked in the jail.
After Pals and his wife, Julie, had their first child, they decided they wanted to move back to North Iowa. The Mason City Police Department hired him in the summer of 1982, where he remained until he was elected as Cerro Gordo County Sheriff in November 2000.
Since then, Pals has been re-elected five times. He ran unopposed in each election except for the one in 2000.
It has been an honor to the chosen by the public so many times to serve them, according to Pals. “I have never taken that for granted,” he said.
Pals, 64, decided not to run for a sixth term. He wants to retire now rather than waiting another four years.
He said his interactions with people and helping the public are what he will miss the most.
“Initially when you are younger you get into it (law enforcement) for the action part of the job, but when you are in the job you realize that action is very, very, small part of it,” Pals said. “Most of it is just dealing with people. Once you learn to communicate with people, you can do great things.”
The technology used in law enforcement has changed dramatically, according to Pals. When he was a dispatcher in the late 1970s and early 1980s and needed to do a license plate check, he would run a strip of computer tape, feed it back in and transfer it to Des Moines. He said this took a lot of time and sometimes the tape would break, causing even more delays.
“Now we have computers in our patrol cars and have apps on our work cellphones that make our jobs better, safer and better for the community,” Pals said.
One of the highlights of Pals’ career was the construction of the Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center, which was made possible by the passage of a bond issue in 2005. The center houses a much-needed larger jail than the one that was located in the courthouse. The facility also includes office space for the sheriff’s department and a joint dispatch center with Mason City.
“That was a lot of work, but it was worth every minute that we put into it,” Pals said.
One of his favorite jobs in law enforcement was being a K-9 handler when he was with the Mason City Police Department. The dog, Rommel, was only a year and a half old when Pals got him and began training with him. Pals’ oldest son was about the same age at the time.
Rommel was more than just a work partner, according to Pals. “He became a family dog to us.”
Pals also enjoyed being the DARE officer from 1991 to 1996. He said it was a great opportunity to interact with youths and the school system.
Pals said local officers “have helped lot of good people in some pretty bad times in their life.” However, “you always think of the cases that were never solved.”
When he was still with the Mason City Police Department, Pals was involved with the investigation into the Gerald Best homicide case. Best, 50, was found stabbed to death on Dec. 30, 1999, in his apartment.
The case remains unresolved to this day, which haunts Pals.
Now that the state of Iowa has launched a cold case unit, he hopes Best’s killer can be identified.
“It would give some closure to the family,” Pals said.
Cerro Gordo County Chief Deputy Dave Hepperly was elected in November to succeed Pals as sheriff. Pals hired Hepperly, who was formerly with the Mason City Police Department, 23 years ago. Between the two agencies, Pals and Hepperly have worked together for 40 years. This has made the transition in leadership of the sheriff’s office easier, according to Pals.
Hepperly said Pals is “just a good guy. He cares about people. He’s cared about his employees. It’s not always easy being the sheriff and being the last word on things, but he’s always tried to do it fairly.”
Pals has always been active in the community, according to Hepperly.
“He quickly endeared himself to a lot of people, not only in Mason City but all of North Iowa,” he said.
Pals is not the only longtime member of the sheriff’s office retiring this month.
Office manager Joleen Vanous, who was worked in the administrative department for 32 years, is also leaving Dec. 31.
Deputy Cam Manson, who has been with Cerro Gordo County for 15 years and spent 10 years with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office before that, signed off from his final shift at 4 p.m. Dec. 18.
Pals said one of the things he is looking forward to the most about retirement is not having to set his alarm clock anymore except for Saturday evenings so he can get to church on Sunday morning.
He plans to volunteer in the community, and there’s always plenty to do at the acreage north of Clear Lake where he lives.
Kevin and Julie Pals have two sons. Todd Pals lives in Mason City and Adam Pals lives in Arizona. The couple have five grandchildren, including three in Arizona, and they are looking forward to being able to see them more often.
Arizona is a great place to visit, according to Pals. However, he and his wife, who is originally from Forest City, have no plans to move there.
“I love North Iowa,” he said. “We aren’t going anywhere.”
(c)2024 Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa
Visit Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa at www.globegazette.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
