Carroll Kenney has seen a lot of things change during 21 years with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.

Some have been good, others haven’t been.

“For example, the computer has come in to make things ‘better’ and there have been a lot of legal changes with how we as deputies do our jobs because of so many lawsuits that have been recently filed,” he said.

“The best one of those changes is the change from rotating to permanent shifts,” he added. “The rotating shifts were tough because you might work a late shift and then come right back on in the morning. Now, with the permanent shifts, you know what your schedule is going to be.”

“92-12” (Kenney’s handle) turned in the keys to his squad car and handed his uniform over to new county deputy Jim Humpton February 16. Humpton may be a familiar name to Riverside residents as he lives just east of town and has experience as a civil deputy.

“I wanted to see what it was like to sit at home when the snow started flying or there was thick fog and say to myself ‘I don’t have to go out and drive in this’,” Kenney said.

“We will get to live life like ‘normal people’,” Kenney’s long-time companion, Jackie Blum, said.

Kenney, a resident of Riverside, won’t be completely retiring from the work force, though. He has agreed to help mow the grass at Kalona Golf Course on a part-time basis during the summer months.

Kenney’s path to becoming a Washington County sheriff’s deputy started at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in Des Moines. He and fellow deputy reserve, Gary “Tex” Redlinger of Kalona, both attended the academy at the same time.

“Tex and I used to come home on the weekends, work our shifts and then turn around and go back to the academy,” Kenney said.

After graduating from ILEA, Kenney started as a full-time deputy May 1, 1978.

Of all of the memories of his career, the one that stands out the most for Kenney is something he didn’t do.

“I’m pretty proud of the fact that, after driving over 750,000 miles in five squad cars (92 percent of those miles driven in Washington County), I never hit a deer,” he said, with a smile.

Blum and Kenney would each like to thank all of the individuals that attended an open house for Kenney this past Saturday at the Riverside VFW.

“Carroll was very pleased with the way the evening went,” Blum said. “He felt quite honored.”

Of the many surprises Kenney received Saturday, one of the more special came from the Riverside Volunteer Fire Department and Riverside First Responders, according to Blum. Each organization presented him with a free weekend of golf at the Amana Golf Course.

According to Blum, around 200 people attended Saturday’s open house.