Gargano spent 16 years at Target before starting his own private security company in 1997.

“This became a passion for me,” he said.

In 2008, he started as the public safety supervisor at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center, a post he held until he accepted the position of jail administrator. From 2001 to 2018, Gargano served with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office Reserves, about half of that time as the unit’s commander. With that background, Gargano will be working with some familiar faces in his new role.

“I know a lot of these people quite well,” he said.

Gargano and Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener also have a long history. In the 1980s, Gargano was Fleener’s first “boss” when Fleener worked at Target. Now, decades later, the tables have turned and Fleener is Gargano’s boss.

“He’s doing a good job so far, just learning on the fly,” Fleener said.

Gargano was the guest speaker at Friday’s Webster County Crime Stoppers meeting.

“I am super excited to be a part of the Sheriff’s Department team and the Webster County Jail,” Gargano said.

The biggest concern when Gargano started earlier this month was the staffing level at the jail, and he hit the ground running to hire new corrections officers.

“We were down to about 10 or 11 people,” he said. “Starting next week, we’ll be up to 17.”

Gargano aims to amass a staff of 22, including an assistant jail administrator. Hiring female corrections officers is a high priority because currently, the Webster County Jail does not have enough female staff to be able to house female inmates. Those inmates are then transferred to other jails in the region.

“Besides these staffing issues, there clearly are some building issues that are not jail-friendly,” he said.

The jail floor has an outdated camera system and the outdated building creates a lot of safety concerns, Gargano said.

“The layout of the facility is just not what meet’s today’s standards,” he said. “When it was built, it was probably great, but the needs have certainly changed.”

In recent months, Fleener has been working with the Webster County Board of Supervisors and Fort Dodge City Council on a proposal to construct a new law enforcement center and jail. The current jail was built in the early 1980s.

“The new jail concept would be beyond wonderful because it would just meet so many needs that we cannot take care of right now,” Gargano said.

Gargano also serves as a medical examiner investigator for the county, a post he’s held for 12 years.