Clarke County Sheriff’s Office welcomes new deputies; promotes one to chief deputy

The Clarke County Sheriff’s Office recently welcomed two new sheriff’s deputies, Lindsey Rissi and Justin Fox, and saw the promotion deputy Brian Akers to chief deputy.

Rissi

The first female to serve as a Clarke County Sheriff’s Deputy, Lindsey Rissi hails from Truro; she started on April 7.

Prior to joining the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, Rissi served as a clerk of court for Iowa’s 5th Judicial District. She will attend the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy later this year.

Rissi said that she decided to pursue law enforcement work as she felt a call to serve her community. Some of her duties will include answering calls for service and general policing. Her first several weeks will be spent as a rider assisting certified deputies and learning the laws, processes, procedures and county roads.

Rissi looks forward to completing her training to become a certified peace officer, and using the knowledge to better the community where she serves.

In her free time, Rissi likes kayaking with family and friends, hunting, fishing, gardening and spending time with her family.

Fox

Justin Fox began March 20 as a Clarke County Sheriff’s Deputy.

Originally from Missouri, Fox spent five years with the Kirksville Police Department where he was on the S.W.A.T. team and a field training officer. After Kirksville, Fox worked for the Lamoni Police Department for about two years. He received his law enforcement training in Moberly, Missouri at the Law Enforcement Training Center.

Fox chose work in law enforcement as a way to help the community, and in his new role in Clarke County he will investigate crimes, enforce traffic laws and serve civil papers. He looks forward to meeting new people in the community.

When not at work, Fox enjoys hunting and visiting with his family in Missouri.

Akers

Brian Akers was appointed to Chief Deputy on March 27, taking over the position previously held by Lucas Darby.

Akers was born in Osceola and lives in Murray. Prior to working in law enforcement, Akers spent ten years as a diesel mechanic. His spent six months with the Chariton Police Department before taking a job with Clarke County. He attended the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in August of 2015, and graduated in December of that year.

When asked why he chose to pursue a career in law enforcement, Akers said that he wanted to be more involved in his community, to try to stop the victimization of the innocent, preserve the rights and liberties of the citizens he serves and of those who enter the criminal justice system.

In his role as Chief Deputy, Akers will assist Clarke County Sheriff Rob Kovacevich with administrative duties, and work to help ease the burden of others in the office in the way of helping to maintain equipment, maintain certifications, assist in daily activities, write grants and participate in community activities to increase the interaction between the public and the sheriff’s office.

Akers serves at Clarke County’s K-9 handler, and will continue to do so. He will still respond to calls for service and police needs.

In his new role, Akers said he looks forward to assisting the deputies and helping them devote their time to policing and responding to calls, providing a wider service to Clarke County citizens. He also looks forward to assisting Kovacevich and learning from him.

When not at work, Akers enjoys golfing with his friends, hunting, fishing and spending time with his family.