Джон Кретсингер вступил в должность шерифа округа Карролл, сменив на посту ушедшего в отставку Кена Пингри

Jon Cretsinger was recently sworn-in as the Carroll County Sheriff during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 1, succeeding Ken Pingrey. Cretsinger, who previously served as the Chief Deputy, was appointed into his role from Pingrey’s recommendation. Pingrey recently retired from the position and he’s currently running for a Board of Supervisors seat. Cretsinger’s first-hand introduction to law enforcement happened when he was 15-years-old. Having a cousin who works as a Des Moines police officer, as a teenager, Cretsinger would ride alongside with him several times in a police vehicle. After graduating from high school, law enforcement wasn’t his first destination. He initially worked for his father’s insurance and real estate company. Realizing the job wasn’t for him, Cretsinger thought back to his memories of riding alongside his cousin. Living in Coon Rapids, he approached the city’s police chief, looking to join the field. He first completed his education and field training at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo. “It was pretty evident right away that I really enjoyed it,” Cretsinger said. By late 2007, he started applying to different sheriff’s departments across the state, first working for the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office. His first workplace helped Cretsinger go through further training at Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. “The way Iowa works, that once you get hired by a department, then they can sponsor you and put you through the academy,” Cretsinger said. However, he knew he wanted to work close to his hometown at some point. Ending up in Carroll County a few years later, Cretsinger said he was the youngest deputy amongst his co-workers when he was first hired, being in his early 20s while everyone else was in their 40s or older. In his eyes, Cretsinger said Carroll County is one of the best counties in the state to work. Growing up, Cretsinger recalled looking up to both Pingrey and former Carroll County Sheriff Doug Bass. “Carroll County has just kind of been the pinnacle of sheriff’s departments and overall just counties to to work in and reside in around the area, and I just knew I wanted to get back and be a deputy,” Cretsinger said. “I always looked up to those guys when I was growing up and seeing them, it’s a good county to work for and that’s where I wanted to end up.” Throughout his time at the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Cretsinger steadily worked his way up, later being promoted to lieutenant. Once the Carroll County Jail was finished, Cretsinger was appointed as the Chief Deputy, a role which required him to manage the jail. “I’m looking forward to getting out as sheriff and getting back on the road and being in the public because that’s really what I love about the job, is just being out talking to people and hearing their stories and helping them out if I can,” Cretsinger said. Cretsinger is continuing a tradition of the Carroll County Sheriff being appointed rather than elected, saying both Bass and Pingrey were both appointed due to their predecessor retiring. “I’ve seen departments go through elections, and it really divides the department, and it takes years to recover from that, so as long as there’s a competent person to lead the department, I think it’s a tradition I hope to continue,” Cretsinger said. Although Cretsinger worked under Pingrey and Bass, he also got to know John “Jack Longnecker, who was the Carroll County Sheriff from the 1960s to the 1990s. Before his passing in 2020, Cretsinger said Longnecker would visit the office to drink coffee and share stories of his time as the county sheriff. All in all, Cretsinger said he’s honored to hold the position. “I know it holds a lot of responsibility and I recognize that, and I’m totally committed to leading the sheriff’s department forward, and I just feel very blessed,” Cretsinger said. “I couldn’t ask for a better county to work for.”