As sheriff, Ostrander is excited to protect and serve on a larger scale

By Audrey Posten | Times-Register

Brent Ostrander took over as Clayton County Sheriff on Jan. 1, excited and honored to protect and serve on a larger scale.

“It was a year and a half campaign. Even running unopposed from the primary still had that constant stress and anxiety. I’ve never experienced anything like this. Being a police officer is a lot easier than running a campaign, I’ll say that,” he reflected. “Now, it’s more relief and pride. The transition itself, there’s a lot of preparation. It’s going to be an all-hands-on-deck learning experience as we go through the first portion of this. But I’ve networked really well with a lot of other sheriffs in the state of Iowa, who are willing to assist in the areas I may need some guidance. I’ve been educating myself. I’ve been doing this job for 22 years. I kind of have a base line, and then I have my own vision too.”

Ostrander began his law enforcement career with the Guttenberg Police Department in 2002 and was hired by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in 2006. Since then, he’s held the position and rank of patrol officer, K-9 deputy, special operations team assistant team leader, criminal investigator and sergeant, in addition to being an instructor and trainer.

He’s grateful his experience and vision resonated with Clayton County voters who elected him to a four-year term.

“It’s that confirmation that what I’ve done for 22 years, I did right. People respect the decision making and my interaction with the public, which is exactly what it should be like in any law enforcement community, but especially rural law enforcement. You have to have a connection with the people you serve,” Ostrander shared. “Rural policing is 90 percent service. It’s not enforcement. That 10 percent—that enforcement aspect—is handled differently even because these are our neighbors, these are our friends, the people we have kids in school with.”

For the past 15 years, Ostrander has seen the benefits of crime prevention and awareness over crime solving, and wants to continue that approach as sheriff.

“If we can get ahead of that, especially at the youth level, and try to influence people to make the right decisions, it makes our job that much easier. Building that trust with the public pays itself back more than anybody will ever know,” he said. 

As Clayton County Sheriff, Ostrander is the principal peace officer in the county, responsible for enforcement of laws. He’ll oversee a department of over 40 personnel, including deputies, jailers/dispatchers and auxiliary and clerical staff. 

Managing that number of people—as well as the accompanying budget—will be the biggest change, he admitted.

“I’m responsible for your funds, but also responsible to increase or improve the service we provide and do it in a cost saving and effective way. Things aren’t cheaper. Equipment’s not cheaper, salaries aren’t cheaper, training isn’t cheaper. How do we do this and manage that?” he said. “I also have to ignite the staff to understand the importance of what we do and the vision of my office now.”

That vision will focus on victim services and treating people right, getting involved in the community, building trust and being visible, according to Ostrander. 

“I want to be out there and engaged, because then you know what’s going on,” he said.

Working under two sheriffs, both with their own styles, strengths and weaknesses, has been beneficial for Ostrander.

“I got to learn from both those sheriffs and see how they either delegated duties or took on responsibilities of those duties and ownership of it. The next six months, I’m going to navigate my way to see what I want to do moving forward,” he said.

Among Ostrander’s short-term goals is hiring two deputies so the sheriff’s office is fully staffed. He admitted filling positions isn’t as easy as it once was. When he tested for the sheriff’s office in 2006, there were 30 or more applicants for two positions. Now, the sheriff’s office gets three to five.

For the first time in Clayton County history, that Ostrander is aware of, the Civil Service Commission will allow lateral transfer, so certified officers don’t have to do the post or physical agility testing to be hired by the sheriff’s office. 

“They’ve already done it—they’re certified. That will hopefully open up the pool,” he said.

Another goal is to structure the department as Ostrander sees fit. 

“The first six months is to let the dust settle from a pretty rough campaign and some division within the department. Then we start building together as a group on ideas and plans and responsibilities long term,” he said.

He also plans to focus on cross training with other county first responders, including fire departments and ambulance.

“We’re all at the same scenes,” Ostrander said, “and you perform a lot better or differently if you know the other person’s responsibilities.”

Ostrander would additionally like to see the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office better embrace the use of social media and apps to connect with the public.

“I would like to be a little more transparent, but a lot of the stuff I do, I don’t share that information, and we won’t, because it’s more traumatic for a victim to have to hear it a second time or see it plastered all over,” he said.

Although complimentary of his predecessor Mike Tschirgi’s monthly “What’s New in County 22” columns, Ostrander does not plan to continue them.

“I’ll do something on my own, maybe more video oriented,” he said.

Ostrander’s long-term goal is to instill pride in the office that he feels has been missing in recent years.

“I want [personnel] to buy into that this isn’t about us; it’s about everybody we serve. There’s nothing more rewarding than when you help someone in a really traumatic situation. That’s what we’re there to do,” he said. 

The new sheriff appreciates the support and trust from within the department—and outside it—as he embarks on this role.

“This is a big responsibility. I don’t take it lightly. My responsibility to the public is number one,” Ostrander said. “My job now is to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect and hold people accountable who do wrong. Your constitutional rights are important. I’m going to do this to the best of my ability. Hopefully it has the correct impact in our community and we’re going to make things safer and have a little better relationship while we do this.”

With a passion for law enforcement, Ostrander strives to challenge himself and continually improve. 

“One of my biggest fears is I am going to miss what I was doing, but progression is a thing. You have to keep getting better at what you do or challenge yourself in a different way,” he said. “I’m excited to have an opportunity to leave an impression on what law enforcement is going to be in Clayton County for the next 20 years—positive improvements. I take that challenge very seriously.”