Barger to retire as sheriff

After over 38 years in law enforcement, Adams County Sheriff Doug Barger has announced his retirement from his tenured position as leader for the county police department. Barger is retiring from his position as sheriff, effective Sept. 1, before his position as sheriff ends in 2014.

The decision for retirement for Barger is based on the desire to spend more time with his family and to retire from a position he loves before the passion for the job has dwindled. Barger explains his career as an officer of the law as fantastic, and is glad he started and completed his career in Adams County.

“Thirty-seven and a half years in my retirement system and 38-plus years in law enforcement, it was just time for the family to reap some benefits before I get old and can’t move and all that,” Barger said. “I’ve got some health, and I’ve got a fantastic admin staff already in place, which just makes the decision just that much easier to do, so I just decided now was the time.”

Barger began his career with the Othello Police Department in 1975 as a reserve officer before continuing on as a radioman jailer. A year later, Barger began road patrols and eventually moved to serve as a deputy for the Adams County Sheriff’s Department in 1984.

In October 2002, Barger began his term as Adams County Sheriff after being appointed to the position by the Adams County Commissioners in the same process that will be conducted to fill the vacancy after Barger retires. Barger has filed for reelection for the past three terms and been successful in continuing his post as the leader for the local department.

During his first campaign, Barger recalls one of the most important issues to residents was the fear of relocation of the sheriff’s department to Othello. Barger said he was initially amused people believed he had the authority to move the county seat, but he understood the concern and has strived to work with residents throughout the county.

“It was really important for the folks on the east end of the county that the sheriff was going to maintain his office in Ritzville at the county seat, as it should be, and I’ve always tried really hard to do that and I’ve tried to participate when I can in community events and be seen. And the folks on this end of the county have been just outstanding certainly to me at a personal level and always very open armed,” Barger said. “And I always appreciate that. It made the job a little bit easier and also makes it a little harder to leave too.”

Barger originally moved to Washington in 1968 from a small town in Nebraska. Barger’s family relocated to the state as part of a migration of farmers to Central Washington who were looking for ideal growing conditions and settled in Royal City.

Barger’s interest in becoming a law enforcement officer was sparked during a career day presentation during his sophomore year at Royal City High School. Barger remembers Deputy Felix Ramon presenting on his career and strongly believing it was exactly what he wanted to do with his life.

After graduating from Royal City, Barger continued on to study administration and justice courses for one year at Columbia Basin Community College, before completing his degree at Highline Community College in Federal Way. He made the decision to pursue his career in Othello because of the mild climate and the great communities in the county.

“My focus was always Central Basin stuff. I never wanted to go to a big city,” Barger explained. “It’s a great community and county to work in and it’s just very appealing around here … It’s a great environment to be in.”

Barger and his wife, Vonnie, raised three children in the Othello community and are celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary next month. Vonnie ran a daycare in Othello for 25 years and retired from the position last year, providing Barger with another reason to retire so the couple can spend more time together.

With retirement right around the corner, Barger is not attempting to make any grand plans and wants to ease into the lifestyle. He is looking forward to not having to keep a constant schedule, spend time geocaching and taking day trips with his wife. The couple intends to continue to reside in Othello in order to be close to their three grandchildren.

During his law enforcement career, Barger has had a variety of experiences that stand out vividly in his mind. His main career changing events came when investigating homicides, and while the tragedies have not been favorable occurrences, the experiences helped Barger develop much needed skills to successfully complete his job at the highest of his ability.

Barger explained that between 1986-90, there was an average of two or three homicides each year, including two of his highest profile cases, including the Bobby Smith investigation. Barger worked on the investigative side for many years, helping him gain expertise with homicide investigation but the experience also helped him investigate other crimes as well.

Perhaps the worst moment in his career was receiving a phone call during his first term as sheriff saying one of his deputies, Jeff Lane, had been shot. Barger said he had hoped he would had have never received the call, but the situation ended in the best way possible with Lane recovering from his injuries and returning to work for the county.

Barger said being sheriff has been made easier by the continuous support from staff, law enforcement officers and community members alike. Barger said he has been blessed with a strong administration staff and deputies since the beginning of his career, and their expertise has helped the department run smoothly and effectively.

“When you surround yourself with good folks, it makes this job so much easier, just so much easier, just everything kind of clicks and runs and I’ve been very fortunate having some very strong administration personnel. But that bleeds down to the working folks. Our dispatch staff, the jail staff: I’ve got some folks that earn very little money but they’re very dedicated to this job and certainly working short handed all the time. I just can’t say enough good things about them,” Barger said.

“The deputies are the same way. We have our disagreements from time to time but the bottom line is we have a job to do and we go out and we just do it,” Barger said. “We have a role to play in the communities, in all of the communities in the county, and I think we’ve tried very, very hard to do that.”

“We’re not perfect by any stretch, but I wouldn’t trade any of these guys in, not a single person,” he said.

As Barger prepares to leave his office as sheriff, he has high hopes for all of the remaining officers in the department. His biggest hope for the deputies is that they remain active and prominent in their communities by residing in the county, being present at community events and continuing to improve communication between each other and residents of the county.

For Barger, retirement serves as a time to relax and enjoy quality time with his family, but he hopes to continue to help the department if necessary. He also intends to continue being active in the communities, as he has become accustomed to spending his time with residents of the county.

“After a certain amount of time, the fire starts to dwindle … It’s time to move on,” Barger said of his decision to retire. “Probably one of the biggest positives in this job is how the communities, Ritzville, Lind, Washtucna, just really have been fantastic to me and there’s some really good people, and hopefully I’ll still get to see those people.”