Hennepin County, Minnesota, Sheriff Patrick D. McGowan likes change.  The former police officer and state senator believes that he does his best work in his first few years on a job.  Then he seeks out his next challenge.

On June 26, 2005, at the National Sheriffs' Association's Annual Conference, McGowan is being recognized for his ability to rise to the challenges he has faced as head of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.  The 2005 recipient of NSA's Ferris E. Lucas Award for Sheriff of the Year said he is humbled by the honor.

Recently, The Corrections Connection Network News talked with McGowan about his career in the criminal justice field.  He discussed with CCNN various positions he has held in law enforcement, as well as what it takes to make it in the field.

Q: How did you get your start in the criminal justice field?

McGowan: Actually, what had happened was that my father was in law enforcement and I went into the military right after high school because I was never a very good student.  But it made me realize, in the military, the value of an education.  I came back and I started going to the University of Minnesota and, actually, my original intention was to go into federal law enforcement.  At that time, I was in my second year of college and I figured the best way to bone up for tests - oral and written - for the FBI, Secret Service - whatever agency I would pursue at the federal level.  I sent out applications to local law enforcement [agencies and] I was informed that the Minnesota Police Department was hiring.  I signed up to take their test, [took it] and was fortunate enough to be offered one of those jobs.

Q: How did you become the sheriff of Hennepin County?

McGowan: I had worked in Minneapolis - I was there for 20 years total, I think.  What happened is that during the course of my career, I always liked change [and] that was just contrary to [what] most people in law enforcement [like].  I enjoy doing work for three to five years.  I think after that time, it somewhat becomes repetitious.  I looked for different assignments, moved around and in probably 1988, I had an opportunity, which came my way, to actually become involved in the political world.  I became a Minnesota State Senator again [from] being in the right place in the right time.  I had never been involved in the political process [and] an opportunity came for me to run for statewide office in Minnesota.  I ended up being elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1988 and served six years there.  During that time, crime was a huge issue in the legislature.  At the time, I was only the second police officer ever to serve in the state senate.  Given the fact that I had worked [in law enforcement, I was] able to bring a lot of credibility to issues.

I left the legislature in 1995 when I was elected sheriff of Hennepin County.  The sheriff had decided to retire at the end of 1994, so the office was vacant and given my background in law enforcement, I thought I would be a good fit for that office.  So I chose to run for sheriff of Hennepin County.  I was re-elected subsequently two more times.

Q: What does being honored by the NSA mean to you?

McGowan: I think, in any profession, to be recognized by your colleagues is truly one of the great recognitions that you can receive.  So I think, in the area of law enforcement, specifically, as an elected sheriff in the U.S., to be honored as the sheriff of the year, to me, means a great deal. 

When I look back, it makes [me] very, very proud to be able to say [that] it's not because of what I have done, it's because of getting people to work towards the common goal of implementing change - to open up an organization to strive to make it better [and] to bring about positive change.  I may come up with the ideas, but it's having th quality men and women within the organization to bring the ideas to fruition.  In the world we live in today, you can be a leader or a follower.   You can become a player in your profession by [being] willing to take risks, look at new ideas [and] adopt new strategies.  I think those are the things that are encompassed in this award.

Q: What advice do you have for those working in the criminal justice field?

McGowan: Number one - you have to build a good foundation.  I did a lot of time in patrol.  I worked in various investigative fields.  I was involved in our SWAT team.  My background as a Minnesota State Senator, coupled with what I have been able to do as sheriff, [has helped me].

[You need to be] willing to learn.  [You need to] learn about your subject matter, understand what your subject matter is [and be] able to take the risk to say 'here is what I think we need to do to make us better' in whatever that field is.  Like I said, sometimes when you have new ideas, they are not always the most popular ideas.  Others will view [them] as radical or absurd, but people are recognized as a visionaries or leaders of the willingness to take risks.

Q: What philosophies do you live and work by?

McGowan: I think I would be naïve to say [that] everything I have been able to do has been done because of me.  It's seeing an opportunity and seizing the opportunity because it's the opportunity that affords us the ability to do things.

Try different challenges, [don't] just get into one area and stay there forever.

Having a person step up to be a mentor for you [is important].  [When I] think back on [my] time as senator, I would look at really two or three colleagues of mine that really encouraged me to step up [and] gave [me] the confidence that [I] needed - that extra little push to say hey, you have the ability. 

For me, it has just kind-of been a matter of timing.  Unfortunately, even out of tragedy comes opportunity.   Since 9-11, [I have had] the opportunity to be able to take the concerns of local law enforcement up to a national or international level.  Today, I chair the NSA Weapons of Mass Destruction Committee.  I guess that is just my personality - I want to be involved in challenges.  I want to be part of solutions, not part of problems.  I like problem solving.  I like looking at things from a diff perspective and saying, how can we do this better?

[There are] four basic questions [I ask] internally and externally:
What do we do well?
What are we doing not so well?
What are we doing that we shouldn't be doing?
What are we not doing that we ought to be doing?

[The I consider]: Are we doing things in the most effective or efficient way?  What are the obstacles to increasing effectiveness or efficiency?  How do we overcome them?  Is it something that we can change internally?  Is it something that we have to involved external partners?

[It's important to have] the willingness to tackle issues.

I think another thing, too, [is having good values].  I would credit this to my parents; they gave me good values.  They were very, very middle class people.  They didn't have a lot to give, but they gave a tremendous amount of their time to us as children [and] instilled really positive values in us.  [They would] reinforce the idea that you have to work hard for what you want and you have to be honest.  Those are the things that you carry forward.