Rakness puts away badge after 34 years in law enforcement

WORLAND – After serving 17 years as Washakie County Sheriff, Steve Rakness has retired from the position effective Jan. 3 when Austin Brookwell was sworn in as the new sheriff.

When asked about how he feels about the change, Rakness said, "It feels good, I'm ready for it. I've worked here for a long time, so it's about time to let somebody new come in and take over."

Rakness started his career in law enforcement in 1978. He had gotten back home from serving in the United States Army and was working on a ranch. He said, "My mom called me one day and said 'Hey, they got a cop job in Saratoga, do you want to be a cop?" So, he went and applied for the job, got hired, and after about a week of training he became a part-time officer of the law in Saratoga.

He said that he later went on to work in law enforcement full time in Medicine Bow, and then as a State Park Ranger based out of Thermopolis.

Rakness' wife Jodi was working at this time as a teacher in Worland when he found out about a job opening for a sheriff's deputy, which he then applied for and was hired. He served as a deputy until 1994, switched to the Worland Police Department, and was then tasked with military duty in Haiti for six months where he ran a prison and trained new police recruits. Afterwards, he came back to serve the police department where he worked for 12 years, and then returned to the sheriff's office.

Rakness was appointed Washakie County Sheriff in 2006 when then Sheriff Gary Mitchell retired, and was then elected in 2007 and held the office for 16 years.

In all, Rakness worked in law enforcement for 34 years.

He said that because he had a military background, law enforcement was a good fit for him, and, because he had a family to provide for, a career in it made sense. Rakness said that the job of a law enforcement officer is recession-proof because people will always break the law.

In reflecting on the years that had passed since he started, Rakness said that the biggest change he saw through the lens of his work was technology and how it changed the way people in law enforcement do their jobs. He said "When I started back then, your portable radio barely worked."

Since then, he has seen the advent of new technologies such as onboard computers and new dispatch systems that have since become the standard. He remarked that a lot of the footwork an officer used to do can now be done at a desk on a computer.

He also thinks that there have been great improvements toward the stigma against law enforcement seeking help for their mental health. Rakness said "When I started, if you told someone 'I think I need to talk to someone' they would look at you like you were crazy." He said that now things have reversed, and law enforcement employees are encouraged to get counseling if they need it.

Rakness also stated his appreciation towards the community for their support in the Shop with a Cop program over the years. The program gives children who otherwise could not give presents to their families an opportunity to spend time with officers and buy Christmas presents from local businesses. Rakness said that every year the community responds positively to this program through their donations and the participation from local businesses.

Looking back on his career, Rakness said "I can tell you after all these years of being a cop that nothing was ever black or white. You had to make different decisions, analyze the situation; nothing was ever clear-cut." When talking about the duties of an officer, he said "A lot of that will always be the same, and I don't believe that anywhere in the near future that society is going to be able to replace a cop on the beat, or sheriffs out patrolling in their vehicle."

Rakness was reluctant to share specific stories from work so as "not to incriminate anyone."

On why he decided it was time to retire, Rakness explained that he was in a place where he still had his health, he was on good terms with his community and his co-workers, and that he thought it was time for a new generation to step in to his role. He said "I don't have any regrets, I don't have any problems in the Sheriff's Office that I need to evade, I don't have any personal problems, so now is the time to get out and go do something different, and enjoy life."

As a closing remark, Rakness talked about the importance of being involved in the community that you serve to better understand them and so that they can understand you. He said "Contact with the community goes a long way towards serving and protecting the public." He went on to thank his community, his co-workers, and his family for their support of him over the years.

Rakness currently has no plans for his retirement, just that he wants to take it easy for a while.