“It seems as though the past three years have gone by quickly during my first term as sheriff, but I am extremely proud of the accomplishments we have made as a department,” he said.

This year will be Fleener’s 35th year in law enforcement and 29th year with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.

“I still believe that experience matters, and those years of service are important for making good decisions while leading our department through the good and bad times,” he said. “Leadership is important for our department, and that always starts with leaning on experience.”

Fleener, a Republican, was first elected sheriff in 2020, following the retirement of former Sheriff Jim Stubbs. During his first campaign, Fleener prioritized increasing training for the department’s sworn staff, increasing the budget for training and implementing a security program at the Webster County Courthouse.

Currently, in addition to annual departmental trainings on state-mandated topics to maintain certification, the WCSO also does force-on-force active shooter training, officer survival and de-escalation training.

In August 2021, with support from the Webster County Board of Supervisors, the WCSO began providing security at the Webster County Courthouse, requiring all courthouse visitors to pass through a metal detector and have any bags searched for prohibited weapons. The security entrance is staffed with a deputy or bailiff with the WCSO at all times.

“One of the first changes I made when I was elected in 2020, was to update our mission statement, and I am truly honored and humbled to lead this dedicated team of professionals in all phases of law enforcement, dispatch and corrections, with a goal of always providing top quality service to our citizens,” Fleener said. “We have shown a lot of growth and changes during this time and I look forward to the future and what is in store for this department, and ask the citizens of Webster County to continue to put their trust in me as their Webster County sheriff.”

He said that working with the Board of Supervisors over the last three years, the WCSO has improved equipment for the patrol division, restructured work shifts for deputies, increased wages, increased sworn staff from 19 to 21 deputies, began providing full time patrol service to Otho and Dayton, took over operational duties of the Webster County Dispatch Center and partnered with Webster County Emergency Management to create a drone team with three certified drone pilots on the WCSO staff.

“In addition, this past year I worked closely with the Fort Dodge Community Foundation to secure a Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Grant in the amount of $200,000 to create programs and community-oriented crime reduction programs in an effort to reduce crime in Webster County,” Fleener said.

Also in 2023, Fleener was able to obtain a decommissioned military armored vehicle at no cost to taxpayers through the Federal Military Surplus Equipment Grant program. The vehicle is used by the Special Emergency Response Team during high-risk search warrants and other incidents.

“This vehicle is used as a life saving tool to keep officers safe and can also be used in search and rescue incidents,” Fleener said.

The Iowa primary election is Tuesday, June 4. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.