Following the retirement of Chad Leonard as Dallas County Sheriff, the County Board of Supervisors appointed Adam Infante as sheriff.

Sheriff Infante says he’s still getting used to the transition of being sheriff and filling possibly the biggest boots he can fill replacing Leonard. However, he tells Raccoon Valley Radio a sheriff is only as good as his staff, which he believes is the best around.

“We have a very good sheriff’s office. In fact, I would argue we have one of the best sheriff’s offices in the state of Iowa. We handle our business pretty well, we’re professional. And we’re going to keep promoting that and looking for people that can fit into that mold and our family.” 

Most recently, the Supervisors approved the appointment of Bret Maxwell from Lieutenant to Chief Deputy. Infante says Maxwell has 15 years of experience working with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and was in charge of dispatch. Before joining the sheriff’s office, Infante notes Maxwell was a Perry Police Officer. 

“Very experienced guy, level headed (and) very team-oriented, a former college athlete who addresses his work problems with a team concept, I like that a lot. We all have rules on this team. You have a team full of Michael Jordans you’re not going to win the NBA Championship. So we have Steve Kerr, BJ Armstrong, and others, and Bret Maxwell knows that well, he’ll do a great job.”   

With the promotion of Maxwell, Infante says they are going through a process for a new lieutenant, which will create an opening for a new sergeant and then hiring a new deputy. Infante appreciates the work Leonard did to set him up for success and he hopes to continue that success and not make any huge changes to how the sheriff’s office operates.