Katie Stange experienced culture shock after first arriving in northwest Iowa to attend college more than a decade ago. Growing up outside of San Francisco, she literally lived life in a faster lane.
“I was so used to always driving on five-lane freeways and everything's always ‘go, go, go.’ When I first moved to Sioux City it was a good transition between rural Iowa and California,” Stange said. “I think the most difficult part was when I moved to Sac County. I was moving to a town that didn't have a grocery store, didn't have a stoplight, and it just felt really, really isolated, and I was.”
Stange attended Morningside University in Sioux City after spending four years as an enlisted member of the U.S. Marine Corps. A few days after graduation in 2018, she took a job with the Sac County Sheriff’s Office. The uniform she now wears is that of a law enforcement leader.
It’s really an honor to be a trailblazer in this position.Katie Stange, Sac County Sheriff
The Sac County Board of Supervisors picked Stange to be the new sheriff last month after serving as deputy sheriff. This week, the window for citizens to ask for a special election ended, so the job is officially hers.
Stange is the third sheriff to serve Sac County in recent months, after long-time Sheriff Ken McClure retired in late June. Jonathan Meyer stepped down as sheriff last month due to personal reasons.
Stange says she was picked for her performance, not gender
Iowa hasn’t seen a woman in Stange's position since Gunda Martindale was appointed in Allamakee County back in 1921 when her husband, who was sheriff, died in office.
“It’s really an honor to be a trailblazer in this position,” Stange said. “The one part that makes me nervous is, you know, I don't want to mess it up, and so I hope that it's known that, you know, I didn't get the spot just because I'm a woman, but it's because of the skills that I have as a law enforcement officer.”
Stange, a mother of two, reflected on the weight of her new role.
"It's honestly nerve-wracking. I think a lot of people don't really know how much responsibility and how much goes into sitting in that seat until you're actually sitting there because you kind of no longer have somebody above you," she said. "You can't say, 'Everything will just go as planned, because my boss will take care of it all.'"
The 33-year-old’s path to law enforcement was not straightforward. She initially considered a career in nursing after transitioning out of the Marine Corps. However, she eventually discovered nursing was not her passion. During college, she worked in an inpatient behavioral unit at a Sioux City hospital.
“I liked that structure and dealing with the patient population more than I did with the medical side and the other units when I was doing nursing school, so I think it pushed me more towards law enforcement,” Stange said. “I’m seeing how much mental health plays a role in things like criminal activity.”
A new jail is a top priority
Stange said her first priority as sheriff will be building a new county jail. A bond measure for the project failed by just 1% last year. It’s on the ballot again this November.
“I can feel the anxiety rising knowing that the vote is coming up here shortly. That's going to be a really pivotal point for this office,” Stange said. "I hope the community decides that it's a necessity not only for the Sac County Sheriff's Office and the other law enforcement agencies in our county, but also just for the community as a whole.”
Officials say the jail, which is more than 80 years old, is outdated and unsafe. Stange said the current facility could close, forcing inmates to be incarcerated somewhere else.
As she started her new position, the West Coast transplant said she considers Sac County her home. A personal tragedy she experienced a couple of years ago showed her the value of living in small-town Iowa.
“I had a house fire a couple of years ago, and I had co-workers and friends show up before the fire was even out, and over the next couple of weeks there was an outpouring from people that I didn’t know personally but wanted to help out any way they could,” Stange said. “That wouldn’t happen in California.”
