A Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office deputy was recognized for his service at the recent 26th Annual Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) Conference, held in Okoboji.

Deputy Kent Gries was awarded in the Criminal Justice category for leading the Sheriff’s office in total arrests and drug arrests, while also being a leader to younger deputies. Gries also excels in public relations, creating the Sheriff’s office’s citizen’s academy and administering a Facebook page that has gained over 2,000 followers since being created in 2015.

Gries tells Raccoon Valley Radio that one of the major reasons for the award was his drive to get impaired drivers off the streets. “My proactive approach to patrol, and enforcing driving under the influence of prescription drugs, illicit drugs, alcohol, and drug enforcement laws.”

Although Gries was awarded alongside officers from the Iowa State Patrol, Ames Police Department, Iowa City Police Department, Plymouth County Sheriff’s office and other large departments, he says his award proves that you can still get quality law enforcement in a small, rural community. “The quality of our officers in Guthrie County is second to none. There’s nothing that we can’t handle. To say it’s an award that’s individually for me would not be accurate. For me to accumulate the arrests that I do takes a true team effort. My Sheriff and Chief Deputy are extremely supportive of the time we put into these cases. My coworkers are amazing in helping me with cases. Our secretary staff, dispatchers and jailers are second to none.”

Guthrie County Sheriff Marty Arganbright adds that the award shows that not only are his deputies as good as anywhere else, they also face the same issues. “We also have some of the same problems that the bigger counties have. They’re still there. We have less population and it makes it harder for officers to track down the people that are breaking the law. It’s quite an honor to get an award in a smaller county.”

This year’s conference was attended by over 250 officers. Deputy Gries was accompanied by Sheriff Arganbright and Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett. This is the first year the Sheriff’s office has entered to be awarded by the GTSB, but Arganbright tells Raccoon Valley Radio it is something they will begin to do on an annual basis.