October 19, 2025
Recently Sac County, one of Greene County’s neighboring rural counties, swore in a woman as sheriff. She is currently the only female sheriff in the State of Iowa.
I was pleased to read about 32-year-old Katie Stange being identified first as interim and then appointed by the board of supervisors as the Sac County sheriff. This followed the resignation of sheriff Jonathan Meyer on Sept. 2.
Sheriff Stange is not the first female in Iowa to serve as sheriff. Back in 1921 Gunda Martindale from Allamakee County was appointed sheriff following the death of her husband, who was serving as the sheriff.
Other women have also been a part of public safety. In 1934 Ola Babcock Miller founded the Iowa Highway Patrol. Just before she took office the young son of one of her best friends was killed in an auto accident. She vowed to do something about highway safety. The Motor Vehicle Department was part of the Secretary of State’s office, and without any funds or authorization she turned the duties of 15 tax collectors, who were to enforce the licensing of automobiles in Iowa, to the duties of enforcing road safety. Each man was assigned to six or seven counties and were to look for unsafe vehicles and drivers.
Miller got results. Deaths on Iowa’s roads decreased by 15 percent in the first year. Through Mrs. Miller’s influence, legislation was passed in 1935 establishing the Iowa State Highway Safety Patrol composed of 53 men.
Now back to Sheriff Stange. She graduated from high school in 2010 and joined the Marines and was stationed in California. As a fellow nurse, I found it interesting she is also a nurse. While completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) she worked as a certified nursing aide (CNA) in a psychiatric unit. When interviewed, she recognized that she was more interested in law enforcement than nursing and two days after graduation joined the Sac County sheriff’s office.
She does not relish the uniqueness of her gender in the role, but prefers to set a good example. She anticipates that women in power/leadership positions will become the norm. She is hopeful that when her daughter grows up she will have opportunities to do whatever she wants, and it will not be considered newsworthy just because she is a woman.
Sheriff Stange is very aware of the upcoming bond to replace the 85-year-old Sac County jail, second oldest in the State of Iowa. The first bond issue failed by 66 votes or 1.5 percent.
The second vote will be on the ballot in November at a cost of $12.5 million. For this amount the new jail will be constructed across the street from the current facility and in general will serve as an update for communications, evidence storage and will remove concerns by the jail inspectors for the safety of the staff, inmates, and the public. Stange is concerned that unless the bond issue passes, Sac County could lose its jail facility and be forced to house prisoners in surrounding counties.
I give “ Best Wishes” to Sheriff Stange in her position.
VIEW FROM MY WINDOW is shared by Mary Weaver of rural Rippey.
