Meet Andrew
On December 28, 2022, I was sworn in as the appointed Sheriff of Boone County, IA. I am very humbled and honored to have an opportunity to serve the people of Boone County. We have a lot of hard work ahead. I’m confident in the competent staff of the Boone County Sheriffs Office that are dedicated to excellence and to public safety. This staff includes deputies, jail staff, 911 communication specialists, administrative staff, IT staff, maintenance staff, and the many vendors we have partnered with. On January 1, 2023, I assumed the duties of Sheriff to finish out the term of Sheriff Gregg Elsberry who retired from law enforcement. I wish him the best of luck and have appreciated his support through this transition.
Since 2003, I’ve worked for the Boone County Sheriffs Office in various capacities. I’m familiar with all the different roles and duties of the sheriffs office. I have established professional relationships with local and surrounding law enforcement agencies. The Boone County Sheriffs Office will maintain the highest professional standards and, if needed, will assist any local, county, state, or federal agency that request assistance.
About me:
I’ve worked for my family in the general contracting business (residential new construction) and farming during the 1990s. I moved to Boone in 1999 from Champaign, Illinois. I liked the city of Boone because it's a community with deep roots to the blue-collar worker. I felt at home quickly and met a lot of great people. I worked as an electrician in Ames, IA for Brice Electric. In December of 2001, I started working for Swan Creek Cabinet Company in Boone as an electrician and industrial technician. The Beginning of my career in law enforcement: In 2003, I wanted to volunteer my free time in the community. After talking with a coworker at Swan Creek, I became interested in the Boone County Sheriff Reserves.
I applied and became a reserve in the early spring of 2003. I always had great respect for law enforcement, but never imagined I would have an opportunity to serve the community in this type of role. I was honored and proud. I remember one day early on; I was riding with Deputy Brian Pontius. I observed the way he talked to people from the public and how they talked to him. He was nice, courteous, and polite. Members of the public respected him. I realized then this was a job I could do and wanted to do.
In 2004, I worked part time at the Boone County Jail and became a certified jailer. I worked in the jail, the dispatch center as jail control, and did transports of prisoners as needed. Later that year I applied for the next full time deputy position. I didn’t get hired because I wasn’t a certified peace officer. I was later approached by Sheriff Fehr who offered to sponsor me to go to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy at my own expense. Of course, I borrowed the money and took the opportunity.
I attended the 13-week (536 hour) Iowa Law Enforcement Academy at Camp Dodge, IA in the spring of 2005. I paid for my own academy fees and was unpaid while I attended. I was the second person in the State of Iowa to do this.
After graduation in July 2005, I started working part time at the Boone County Sheriffs Office as a road deputy and also for the Boone Police Department as a police officer, while maintaining full time employment at Swan Creek Cabinet Company. Sometimes sleep was hard to come by.
In 2007, I was offered a full-time position with the Boone County Sheriffs Office as a road deputy. In late 2007, I applied for a narcotics detective position/promotion and was appointed that role for three years. During this time, I worked on drug investigations with the Central Iowa Drug Task Force and also did general crime cases for the Boone County Sheriffs Office. In 2010, I returned back to road deputy duties.
In 2012, I was promoted to general crime detective. I have been doing those duties for the past ten years. During this time, I have investigated homicide, home invasion robbery, sexual abuse (child and adult), extortion, theft (all degrees), arson, harassment, suicide, fraud, domestic violence, child pornography, missing persons, etc. With the help of a strong prosecutor, many of these investigations have resulted in convictions. I have also taken in interest in other projects and advancing technology at the sheriffs office during the years I served there. It helped to have a background as an industrial tech, electrician, and data networking. I wanted to see the Boone County Sheriffs Office and all Boone County Law Enforcement reap the benefits of being technologically relevant and fiscally efficient, similar to any private corporation or small business. We also needed this technology for liability and transparency purposes. Not only does this save the county from lawsuits, but it also creates the best evidence possible for criminal prosecution. In some cases, this technology can be used to hold the employees of the Boone County Sheriffs Office accountable for their own actions. Holding everybody accountable to the highest standards, furthers the public's trust in public safety and law enforcement as a whole.
Due to the location and proximity to several much larger metropolitan areas, Boone County and the separate law enforcement entities that operate within it, experience the some of the bigger scale problems of larger, more heavily populated areas. However, we have much smaller operating budgets. This means we utilize grants for funding and often complete projects on our own as opposed to hiring a third-party vendor. In the name of public safety and pride in Boone County, I have always personally embraced taking on these extra duties and pushing the boundaries of what we could get done within a tight budget framework. This benefits the taxpayers of Boone County.
Here are some of the projects I have personally created, engaged in, or managed:
• Designed and assisted with the installation the current Boone County 911 communications center.
• Jail control repair and maintenance.
• Design and installation of the Boone County facility IP cameras and integration with jail control software.
• Interview room design and installation of equipment.
• Body camera testing, usage, and deployment.
• OWI booking area recording system. • Electronic citations and charging (TraCs).
• Electronic cloud storage for all law enforcement forms (shared with multiple agencies).
• Microwave network link between the City of Boone and Boone County to facilitate in network solutions that better integrate the Boone County with the City of Boone.
• Set up government purchasing accounts for Boone County Sheriffs Office.
• Designed and installed two generations of patrol car computers for all Boone County Law Enforcement agencies on behalf of the Boone County 911.
• Designed and installed the 2nd generation Boone County Emergency Management Mobile Command Center. This platform was instrumental with the Kathlynn Shepard homicide and Dezi Hughes abduction.
• Designed and installed the original Boone County Emergency Operations Center.
• Enrolled Boone County in a successful pilot testing program with the State of Iowa court system for electronic search warrants.
• Hand-built Boone County Communications multi use main computers (still in use).
• Electronic Courthouse security design and monitoring. This includes several camera systems in use on all levels of the courthouse including the Boone County Treasurers Office, District Courtroom and Associate courtroom.
• Transformation of case file management from paper and analog VHS tapes to the current 100 percent digital format, making managing and case sharing with prosecution seamless.
• Design and build electronic surveillance platforms to assist with providing valuable footage for criminal investigations while reducing labor costs of investigators.
• Social media design and integration to help further communications and facilitate conversations between the Boone County Sheriffs Office and the public.
• Designed and manufacture a portable 5G enterprise grade internet backup solution for use with mobile command deployment, large events, emergency events, etc.
• Supportive and backup administrative role for the sheriff to include supporting the front administrative office, internal investigations, facility maintenance, obtaining grants, purchasing, etc.
• Evidence Custodian.
• GTSB grants. (Governor Traffic Safety Bureau)
• Criminal case management.
I have an additional 736 hours of training since the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. The additional training and expertise I’ve gained, allows me to better serve the Boone County public and surrounding agencies when requested. I am certified and trained in the following subjects:
• FAA Certified Commercial Drone Pilot (Part 107)
• Cellebrite Certified Operator and Physical analyst (cellular phone forensics)
• ILEA certified firearms instructor and re-certifications
• DEA Basic Narcotics Investigator course
• Clandestine Laboratory Safety Certification and multiple re-certifications
• Advanced Vehicle Contraband and Concealment
• Electronic Surveillance (ATF)
• Surveillance Equipment Engineering (ATF)
• NCIC certification
• Iowa Notary
• Advanced Interview and interrogation techniques (Dr Rhodes) X2
• ILEA Bike Patrol Certified
• Just Rural Sexual Assault training (Nashville)
• Pediatric Sexual Assault (Blank Children’s Hospital)
• FETI (Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview) techniques
• ILEA certified Jailer (National Sheriffs Association 2005)
• Arson Investigation (Fire Service Training Bureau, Ames, IA)
• Multiple Iowa Sex Offender Registry Symposiums
Professional Affiliations I am associated with:
• Iowa Deputy and Sheriffs Association (ISSDA)
• Liaison Deputy to Access Advocate services
• Boone County Trails Committee (previous)
• Iowa Sex Crimes Investigators Association
I am aware of many challenges ahead at the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. My first task is to submit a budget for the 23-24 fiscal year and hire replacement staff due to recent vacancies. Additionally, I plan to focus on the following:
• Revise and update the SOP for the Boone County Sheriffs Office. (Lexipol)
• Create a civilian jail administrator position.
• Create Command Staff structure for the Boone County Sheriffs Office.
• Add a third weekday jailer to assist with the growing demand of inmate courtroom appearances and inmate transports, and other tasks.
• Jail control overhaul due to aging jail infrastructure (21 years old).
• Explore Vehicle Leasing to get more constant replacement patrol vehicles at a reduced cost to the county within the same fiscal framework.
• Improved Boone County Courthouse and courtroom security.
• Better integration of ALL schools within Boone County to the Boone County 911 Communications Center to be better prepared for any school emergency/threat.
• Keep the budget within the budgetary spending guidelines to ease the burden on the taxpayers of Boone County.
I am proud to serve Boone County and all the communities within. I am passionate about public safety. I believe in doing the right thing and being held to the highest professional standards. These same qualities will be upheld and enforced with all the staff that work at the Boone County Sheriffs Office. Criminal activity of any kind will not be tolerated and met with professional, competent, and determined staff that are dedicated to holding criminals accountable. This leads to a safer community for everyone so we can all enjoy a higher quality of life. That being said, I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the State of Iowa and the Constitution of the United States. I believe in the equal rights regardless of nationality, sex, ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status.
I look forward to serving the public and the challenges that lay ahead. I feel confident that my 20 years of experience with the Boone County Sheriffs Office have prepared me for this role. I believe in the Boone County Sheriffs Office and the communities that it serves. I will be involved in all aspects of this agency to help ensure its continued success. Thank you for your support.
Respectfully, Sheriff Andrew Godzicki