Sean C Morgan
Jim Yon started his day Friday, June 1, being sworn in as Linn County Sheriff.
Then he spent the day dealing with the details of taking his new office while retired Sheriff Bruce Riley completed the duties of his office by welcoming his own son into the department.
Yon was sworn in by Judge DeAnn Novotny at the Linn County Courthouse.
Yon, a Sweet Home resident, was joined by his parents, brothers, in-laws and family friends as well as deputies. As his last act as Sheriff, Riley, also joined by family and friends, swore in his own son, Caleb, who went to work for Linn County Sheriff’s Office Friday, the same date his father was sworn in by Sheriff Art Martinak in 1987. He went to work in 1985 as a reserve deputy.
Yon ceremonially swore in Bruce and Caleb Riley and then gave Caleb Riley the same badge his father wore as a patrol deputy. Yon said he will have the same radio call number.
The ceremony concluded as Yon’s wife, Angie, a teacher at Foster Elementary School, pinned his badge to his uniform.
“Pretty amazing,” Yon said of his day. “People don’t have days like today very often.”
He was especially happy with “the love and support from my family and staff.”
He received a note of congratulations from a citizen Friday too, he said. “I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
The day culminated in a retirement dinner for Riley at the Linn County Fairgrounds, with Yon as emcee.
Saturday morning, Yon was one of the attractions in the Strawberry Festival Parade in Lebanon, riding in a Ford Mustang convertible as he waved to his new constituents.
It is possible that Yon is the first Linn County sheriff from Sweet Home, but it’s not certain. Records he had available were incomplete.
Following the swearing in, Yon spent much of the day moving from his old office to his new office space and filling out and signing the paperwork involved in the transition.
Riley was sworn in as sheriff on Jan. 1, 2014.
“It’s been the best job of my life,” Riley said. “I never aspired to be the sheriff early on in my career.”
He was drawn to the business out of a desire to protect, Riley said. It wasn’t until after moving up through the ranks in patrol and becoming undersheriff in 2009 that the idea really occurred to him.
That’s when he began seeing the bigger picture, he said. He was aware of the other divisions, corrections and support, for example, but he gained a better look at how they interacted as a whole. He figured then that if things broke the right way and the timing was right, he would pursue it.
“That’s what happened when Tim (Mueller) retired,” Riley said. “It’s been the best job of my life. It’s tough to leave.”
He said he has been a cop longer than he has been a husband or a father and longer than he hasn’t been a cop.
It’s “such an important part of your life, your identity,” he said. “No matter what time, day or night, you’re the sheriff.”
People greet him, “Hi Sheriff,” he said. “That all changes today.”
Riley said he’s going to take some time, switch gears and enjoy the summer.
“I’m not going to jump out and do anything crazy yet,” he said. “Come fall, I plan on doing something. I just can’t sit around.”
Riley said that recommending Yon for Sheriff was a no-brainer.
“When I became Sheriff, one of the first decisions I had to make off the bat was who my undersheriff was going to be,” Riley said. The person in that position gives advice, discusses all matters and acts as Sheriff in the Sheriff’s absence.
“I felt he had what it took,” Riley said. “He’s got the personality for it. He’s calm.”
Yon has always been a step or two behind Riley throughout their careers, Riley said, and Riley has had a lot of opportunities to see him at work, his decision-making process.
“He cares about his community,” Riley said. “He understands the philosophy of the office, customer service. He grasps what it takes to serve. He’s got the integrity level to be sheriff.”
And he knows who his boss is, Riley said, his constituents, the people of Linn County.
Parting from his office Friday, Riley said he wanted to “thank Linn County, Linn County voters and my constituents for their support,” for law enforcement in general and for him as sheriff.
“My youngest is following in my footsteps,” Riley said, and he was thrilled Yon gave him the chance to swear him in. “That’s one of the top five moments of my life.”
It was his son’s decision to move to Linn County Sheriff’s Office from Benton County Sheriff’s Office, but Riley is glad he did.
“When he knew I was going to retire, he said, you know, dad, I want to work for Linn County,” Riley said. “I support him 110 percent. It was one of those proud Dad moments to be able to swear him in.”