A Coffee and Donut reception was held at the Marion County Law Enforcement Center on outgoing Sheriff Andy Garden’s final full day in office on Wednesday.
A large number of county employees as well as current and former employees at the sheriff’s department were in attendance to wish Garden well.
Garden is ending a 33 year career in law enforcement, all at the Marion County Sheriff’s Department where he started at the age of 22. He says the biggest change he has seen is in attitude.
“Even people we dealt back when I started, even the people I arrested, we had sense of respect for each other for the most part. I think that is what has effected law enforcement is just respect of the people we arrest, we deal with, that’s one of the biggest things that I have noticed change.”
Garden says he will miss the people.
“It’s been a pleasure. I thank my co-workers, all the people at the county and county board, different office holders, I thank the employees that do the job everyday. Past co-workers, I’ve formed friendships and bonds with people that I will never forget.”
Garden says being the canine officer was one of the highlights. He reports the incident involving Benjamin Smith who was stopped and shot himself in his car on the south side of Salem in 1999 after he had been involved in several racially motivated shootings earlier is the most memorable experience of his career.
Garden says he’ll now get to do what he wants to do, which is working with horses.
