People important to Goetz

People are the part of law enforcement that is most important for Clearwater County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Chris Goetz.

He gets satisfaction from being able to help people, some of them to change their lives, some just to change a flat tire in the rain. Law enforcement is a job where he can work with different people in different situations every day. "You never know what the next day will bring," he said.

His Aunt Kathy will be retiring in March after 32 years in law enforcement and she has been a major influence in his decision to make it his career. Goetz grew up listening to her talk about her experiences on the job.

Goetz was born and raised in Appleton, WI. Early in his life, he decided that he wanted to either be in law enforcement or the military. After graduating from high school Goetz spent three years in the Army as a tank mechanic in Germany. Then he spent three years working as a mechanic for the Department of Defense as a mechanic, but he knew it was not the direction for him. He decided to pursue a career in law enforcement.

He applied with several agencies in Southern Idaho, but was unsuccessful because he had no experience in the field, so he decided to go through POST (Peace Officer Standards Training Academy). While he was there, he applied to several more agencies and found out about the opening for the Weippe resident deputy position with Clearwater County Sheriff's Department. He applied and was hired in September 1998. He worked in that position for two years before transferring to Orofino to work patrol.

Within six months of his transfer to Orofino, he was engaged and he and his wife, Brittany, were married in September of 2001. After six months on patrol, Goetz transferred to narcotics investigations where he worked for two years. Then transferred back to patrol and shortly after that was promoted to patrol sergeant. He worked in that position for three years before being named Chief Deputy with the retirement of Gene Fish in January.

Among Goetz goals are getting a certificate of compliance for the jail. With the new recreation yard, he feels that will happen. He also plans to keep up with training programs and current trends in law enforcement.

Anyone with questions or concerns about the sheriff's department is encouraged to stop by or contact Goetz.

Photo: Chief Deputy Chris Goetz