Winneshiek County Sheriff's Deputy Garth Narum is retiring after 23 years with the department

Winneshiek County Sheriff's Deputy Garth Narum says he didn't intend to become a police officer.

After spending time as a Marine in California, Narum wanted to come back to the Midwest.  He was hired as a DNR game warden in the Boundary Waters area of MInnesota.

That's when former Sheriff Floyd Ashbacher called and offered Narum a job.

"I was paddling my canoe when the call came in," Narum tells decorahnews.com.

He had gotten a degree from Winona State University, so he accepted the offer to return to this area.  He says he enjoys the area and the people here.  Moreover, he was able to work into the local Tactical Team and became a firearms instructor.  "It worked out really well," he says.

At that point, a call came in and Narum had to jump in his squad car to help at an accident scene.  He'll be retiring on Friday and will have time for his hobbies and doing some part-time farm work, but for now there was another call to answer.