Sheriff by Rank, Helper by Heart

By: Annastazia and Sydni

“My door is always open, and I will never hide from the public.” This was said by the Sheriff of Keith County, Jeff Stevens. Mr. Stevens has been the sheriff for 1 year, but he has been involved in our community for much longer than that.

Mr. Stevens was elected to be the Sheriff of Keith County. The position of Sheriff is the only elected law enforcement position in the state of Nebraska. All ninety-three counties have only one Sheriff that is elected. He went through an election process to acquire this position. Stevens said that the hardest part of the election process was winning over the trust of the community to perform the duties of a Sheriff. When asked why he wanted to be in law enforcement, Sheriff Stevens responded with, “It was to help people.” He also said that the ultimate goal for any public servant is to help people and to make the community a better place. Stevens said that he cannot put a time limit on his job, and that being a sheriff requires being on call 24/7.

Sheriff Stevens said that the entire sheriff's department is currently working on getting involved in education. Stevens said, “Education is a big part in prevention, so we are really trying to get involved and get education out there, because I would rather talk to the kids in a school setting rather than any other type of setting.”

Stevens is very involved with his church, and sits on the school board for St. Luke’s Catholic School. He also serves on various boards, and he is always willing to help someone out. He voluntarily coaches his oldest daughter’s softball team in the spring and summer and enjoys being involved with all of his kids’ activities.

Sheriff Stevens says that it is very important that kids and teenagers get involved in their communities and establish roots because the more kids are involved, the more they give back to the community.