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Irreplaceable

With nearly 40 years of law enforcement experience, McConnell’s retirement leaves big shoes to fill in Hamilton Co.

-Messenger file photo
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Scotty McConnell tests out new equipment in December 2006.

Today, Dec. 31, 2019, will be the final time Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Scott McConnell wears his brown sheriff’s deputy uniform after serving the residents of Hamilton County for three decades.

The deputy, who is known as “Scotty” to nearly everyone who has met him, joined the force in November 1989, after serving on the Webster City Police Department for three years on active duty and five more on reserves. Now, nearly 40 years since he first entered law enforcement, McConnell is retiring as the year ends this week.

It was a friend’s dad who inspired McConnell to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“When we were in high school, I saw what he did and it kind of piqued my interest in it,” he said. “I rode with him several times during high school and I thought what he did was pretty cool.”

After 15 years at the Sheriff’s Office, McConnell was appointed chief deputy in December 2004.

“I’ve had a good career,” McConnell said, reflecting on the past four decades. “I’ve worked with a lot of really good guys. The relationships you build with the people you have to work with are probably some of the best things about the job, because you work with a lot of really good guys who are putting forth an effort to serve the public to the best of their ability.”

During his time in law enforcement, McConnell focused on doing right by the people of Webster City and Hamilton County and fostering a strong relationship between law enforcement officers and the public.

“I just tried to serve the public the best I could and treat everybody with the dignity and respect they deserved, and I think I did a pretty good job at that,” he said. “I’ve even had people that I’ve arrested before come up to me later and thank me for how I treated them — I treated them like human beings and not just like a criminal.”

Despite decades serving in uniform and working on countless cases across the county, McConnell said each one has been equally as important as the next.

“I don’t really think that there’s one thing that really stands out in my memory, but I took everything as important — every case that you handle, every person that you help is important,” he said.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will have a hard time filling McConnell’s shoes.

“If you go mention Scott McConnell’s name out in Hamilton County – and I don’t care where it’s at – everybody knows it’s not ‘Scott,’ it’s ‘Scotty,'” Sheriff Doug Timmons said. “They know Scotty.”

McConnell will be “greatly missed,” the sheriff said.

“You can’t replace him,” he said. “He’s the voice of reason. Just his experience in law enforcement and dealing with different situations, the experience is irreplaceable.”

When tonight comes, McConnell is going to leave his phone on the kitchen table because he doesn’t have to worry about answering calls in the middle of the night, and he’s going to sleep in on Wednesday.

The former chief deputy doesn’t plan on retiring completely this week – he’s going to find another job and continue to work for a few more years.

“I’m also going to enjoy my hunting and fishing as much as I can,” he added.

But overall, McConnell plans on staying put.

“I was born and raised right here in Webster City and I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

“I’d like to thank the people of Hamilton County for letting me serve them,” McConnell added.

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