Griggs, a Democrat, was first elected in 1980. He was sheriff from 1981 to 2003.

Early in his tenure as sheriff, Griggs pushed for the creation of the county’s enhanced 911 dispatching system, which could automatically locate the source of any call for help and provide emergency personnel with information about that location.

In 1988, he championed a ballot measure which created a fee on telephone bills to pay for the enhanced 911 dispatching system. That fee, approved by a wide majority of county voters, remains in place today.

Griggs also established the volunteer Sheriff’s Reserve, which evolved to become today’s Fort Dodge Police Department-Webster County Sheriff’s Department Dual Reserve Unit. It is believed to be the only law enforcement reserve unit in Iowa that supports both a city police department and a county sheriff’s department.

In 1982, he teamed up with former Fort Dodge Mayor Herb Conlon to form Webster County Crime Stoppers, an organization best known for offering rewards for information leading to the arrest of wanted suspects.

However, his career as sheriff ended on a negative note.

In March 2003, he was charged with second-degree theft, felonious misconduct in office and tampering with records.

The case against the sheriff focused on $10,000 worth of spending on items, including food, not used in the Sheriff’s Department or the Webster County Jail.

Griggs resigned in September 2003.

On Dec. 9, 2003, the case against Griggs effectively ended because of his health. On that day, Webster County District Court Judge Michael Moon ruled that Griggs could not stand trial because he could not understand and respond to the charges against him.

Griggs was a native of Lehigh. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1960.

He served in the Fort Dodge Police Department for 13 years, achieving the rank of lieutenant before running for sheriff.

He was a member of the first graduating class of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. He was also a graduate of the FBI Academy and the National Corrections Academy.

Current Sheriff Jim Stubbs was hired by Griggs and served as his chief deputy from 1998 until 2003. Stubbs recalled that Griggs was always on the job.

”He never took a vacation that I know of,” he said.

Funeral arrangements are pending with Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home.