Scott Adams selected as chief deputy

Sarah Day — Staff Writer
BLUE EARTH — Scott Adams can’t put his finger on exactly why he went into law enforcement, but it’s something he wanted to do since he was a young child.

Adams started serving the public in 1994 when he became a patrol officer for the Winnebago Police Department. In 2002, he began working for the Tri-City Police Department as the police chief, which covered Minnesota Lake, Easton and Delavan until this year. Adams moved to a patrol deputy position in 2005 with the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office, and a year later became an investigator.

Recently, Sheriff Mike Gormley selected Adams as his chief deputy.

Gormley took office in January 2007 and was working without a chief deputy. He said he went through an evaluation period since then.

“I kind of let everybody see where they fit in and who did what and who was able to step up and help the department,” Gormley said. “And Scott was always right there helping out whoever he could — always willing to assist everybody with problems or cases.”

Adams’ work ethic and people skills also stood out to Gormley.

Those attributes and several more were some of the key elements he was looking for in the deputy who would be his “right-hand man.”

Gormley said he was looking for “somebody who’s very intelligent and organized. Somebody who’s worked with different police departments and has experience working with the public. Somebody who’s knowledgeable in the law and policies and a good communicator.”

“If I’m absent or out of the area I need someone who can deal with the situations that arise,” he said.

So why Adams?

“’Cause he’s the man who can do that,” Gormley said.

Adams is appreciative of the promotion. He said he didn’t know why he was selected.

“There’s plenty of talented people in this building, plenty of talented people in law enforcement,” Adams said. “It’s simply an honor to be asked. Every day is a learning experience. Every day is different.”

If he worked another 15 years, he said, he’d still have more to learn.

Gormley said the change to chief deputy will essentially be more work. Adams’ responsibilities now include overseeing other employees, recommending policies and procedures and helping with the jail transition. He also will serve as sheriff in Gormley’s absence.

Gormley didn’t think anything would really change for the other deputies.

Adams is happy with where he’s at and doesn’t have plans for a career move outside the sheriff’s office.

“When I came from Tri-City I made the statement, ‘This is my last move,’” he said. “When I left the other jobs, I thought I was making steps to better myself.”