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Show L ' ' ' : t - - : V ' " . .. .. : Garfield County Sheriff Than Cooper congratulates Chief Deputy John Niemann upon his retirement after 26 years service to the department. Niemann was awarded a plaque and honored at a dinner on Tuesday. Deputy John Niemann Retires After 26 Years TROPIC "And then there was the time that Garfield County Sheriff's Deputy John Niemann was performing his duty as bailiff in court. He was standing against the wall, watching over the courtroom in a really tense, dramatic case when suddenly the lights went out. Niemann's shoulder had flipped the light switch. Not missing a beat, he casually flipped the switch and went on like nothing had happened." That's typical of laid-back Deputy John Niemann, set to retire this week after 26 years of service to the county's residents. If he had his way, he would slip quietly into the night, but at this writing, he still had to "endure" his retirement party slated for last Tuesday evening at the Triple C Arena in Panguitch. Niemann is Garfield County's Coun-ty's longest serving full-time public employee having been hired Aug. 1, 1976 and having served under seven different sheriffs. In 1972, he had taken an early retirement as a welder for Shell Chemical in California, moving to Tropic along with wife, (See RETIRE on page 4A) Niemann Retires From Front Page Claudia and young children Wendy,' Kimber, John and Todd. The family had been accustomed accus-tomed to taking two-week vacations vaca-tions every year at Pine Lake and came down into the community commu-nity of Tropic one evening for a dinner where local residents were holding a square dance at the pavilion at Tropic Town Park. They subsequently purchased pur-chased ranch property from Earl Jolley and moved their family from Simi Valley. When then-Sheriff Keith Fackrell learned of Niemann's background in police science, he asked him to serve as his only deputy. So in his early 30's, Niemann embarked on an entirely new career. Since then he has served under six succeed- . ing elected sheriffs including Howard Gilmore, Don Mosier, Vic Middleton, Larry Coon, Robert Judd and most recently Than Cooper. Since completing POST training, Niemann has served as bailiff, hauled prisoners, served important court papers, and has always been there to back up fellow officers, now numbering six deputies across the county. Sheriff Than Cooper says, "John's a true veteran, a good friend, very dependable and a dedicated employee. On top of that, he was outstanding at diffusing dif-fusing situations and has been excellent backup to all in the department." With Niemann's retirement, his wife, daughters and sons will rest a little easier because being a cop these days is not so routine. rou-tine. As daughter Wendy Brinkerhoff, Tropic, puts it, "Many thought my dad was too laid back, too aloof, but they haven't walked in his shoes. Every time an officer or the sheriff puts on that uniform and walks out the door, his family is very aware that they put their personal lives on the line for every citizen in this county." A very private individual, Niemann's retirement party would be one of the last "difficult" "diffi-cult" things he had to bear for his constituency. His farewell would include little anecdotes from feljow officers and court personnel and a departing gift from the county of a quality pair of binoculars. A plaque would also be presented, along' with, unquestionably, a few warm personal barbs. |