Helping others rewarding to Stutsman County deputy
Oct. 2—JAMESTOWN — Having the opportunity to help individuals when it could be the worst day of their lives is one part of the job that is rewarding to a Stutsman County Sheriff's Office deputy.
"My job is different every day in just knowing that the next call I take is going to be something that is going to help somebody," said Sadie Holzworth, who has been with the Sheriff's Office for more than six years. "People rely on you to make them feel safe."
Holzworth said it's a great feeling to make a difference in someone's life and help him or her through his or her problems and get better. She said it's important that she is a positive role model to others and to be somebody who has a positive impact on another person's life.
"It's always a great feeling to see somebody doing the best they can with their life," she said.
Holzworth, who is from Jamestown, grew up around family members who are involved in law enforcement and have informed her what it's all about. Her mother is a dispatcher for the Stutsman County Communications Center and her stepdad, Justin Blinsky, is the assistant chief of police with the Jamestown Police Department.
She said she took ride-alongs with Blinsky while she attended the University of Jamestown and learned what law enforcement officers do, what calls they take, how they talk on the radio and what tasks need to be done.
"I had a feeling that law enforcement was something that I wanted to do as a career, so I went to college, got a criminal justice major and went on and put myself through the peace officer training program and got hired here," she said.
Holzworth was a correctional officer with the Stutsman County Correctional Center before she became a deputy. She said working as a correctional officer helped her learn laws that she needs to know when patrolling the streets, how to talk to people and write reports. She also got to know the individuals who bring in apprehended people.
Holzworth is also a negotiator with the James Valley Special Operations Team. She said negotiators do their best to communicate with others and try to help them get through their situation to hopefully get a peaceful resolution.
She said there aren't too many challenges with her occupation but the job is different each day because law enforcement officers don't know what call they will respond to next.
"It's always expect the unexpected," she said.
One of Holzworth's favorite parts about being a deputy is working for a community that supports law enforcement. She said people show their acts of kindness by bringing in cards or letters thanking law enforcement or even by just waving at law enforcement.
"It makes my job a lot easier to do knowing we have such a supportive community," she said. "That's why I love this area. I grew up here and went to school here."
Because Holzworth is in a supportive community, she enjoys giving back and being there for others. She likes being out in the public to do public relations events such as National Night Out or the Community Block Party and even being a part of Cops and Kids during Christmas.
"I like going around to the schools when they sometimes need somebody to come in and talk to them or other classes," she said. "I just like to make my presence felt."
