What does it take to be a sheriff in Northern California’s rural communities? Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman reflected on his 34-year journey in law enforcement on EpochTV’s “Bay Area Innovators” program.

“Public safety is my number one priority in Amador County,” he said.

Redman was born and raised in Southern California. He decided on his career path after an encounter with police when he was 18. Redman and his friends bought beer as they waited to go to a bowling alley. Hours later, when he was driving his friends home, a police officer pulled them aside to talk. The officer learned that Redman was going to join the military and that one of the friends in the car was a minor. The officer told him that he was making some poor life choices that could lead to consequences and that if the military found out, Redman would not be accepted. Redman has since gone through basic training as a security policeman, and he recalls that encounter every time he confronts another youth.

“I’ve always looked back on my interactions with the youth and tried to instill in them what was instilled in me, that every choice has an impact in life,“ he said. ”And had I made some poor choices, I would have never been in this career, and I would never be in this position.”

Redman joined the Air Force in 1988 and served for four years. After that, he went to Los Angeles to join the police department, which at the time was very difficult—3,000 applicants for one job. His persistence and passion led him to join the Los Angeles Police Department in 1996, and he was stationed at Division 18 around South Central LA. He said he loved that every day was different, from taking someone to jail to interacting with people to explaining how the law works.

“I grew up in a pretty affluent neighborhood in LA, so I didn’t have a whole lot of experience with that, and now I’m dealing with gang members, and now I’m dealing with some of the worst of the worst,” he said. “What I found is that there are so many good, hardworking people that live in these areas that want us there, that want us to take care of these bad people that are committing crimes, because most of the crimes are committed against them.

“So they had a tremendous amount of respect.”

In 1998, Redman became a deputy sheriff for Amador County in the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. His wife thought that he would be much safer in the rural areas, but Redman said the job is not safer.

“We’ve got 594 square miles with 38,000 people, and sometimes we'll have two deputies on and a sergeant at night, so your backup is 20, maybe 30 minutes away,“ he said. ”I have handled stuff by myself that if I had done that with LAPD, they would have disciplined me because it goes against officer safety.”

The No. 1 crime in Amador County is theft, which includes identity theft and burglary, as well as breaking into houses, sheds, vehicles, and mailboxes. According to Redman, at certain times of the year, such as Christmas, there is a spike in mail theft as people try to steal the goods within packages and cards.

“A lot of it stems from people, not only within Amador County, that are addicted to narcotics,“ he said. ”And that’s how they survive, and that’s how they, you know, get their habit of going out and purchasing drugs, is by stealing stuff.”

Another widespread crime in the county is domestic violence inside the home, in which law enforcement officers can intervene only if they are called.

In 1999, Redman joined the SWAT team and was an operator for eight years and a team leader for another eight years. One day after SWAT training, he received calls about a family on a ranch getting shot at by their neighbor, who lived about 200 feet away in a mobile home on the property. The homeowner and the resident argued over rules and regulations, but the situation escalated into a shooting. The homeowner hunkered down in his home with his three young children and called for the police. Meanwhile, his neighbor kept shooting, hitting the family’s dog and a propane tank. Redman had to bring in the peacekeeper, an old Air Force armored vehicle.

“We’re going to drive it over here, around the residence,“ he said. ”We‘ll lay down any cover fire if we have to, and we’ll go upstairs and rescue these three kids ... along with the dad.”

In 2017, California Senate Bill 54, or the sanctuary law, passed. It restricts local law enforcement from informing Immigration and Customs Enforcement that an individual with a criminal history is on U.S. soil illegally and will be released into the community.

“We’ve had too many incidents over the years, too many people either murdered or raped because of an illegal who was released back in the community and now goes out and commits this act, and as sheriff, I’m just not willing to do that,” Redman said.

Once, he had to deal with a group of criminals who were stealing throughout San Joaquin and Amador counties, and he admitted that it was in the country illegally. The group also cut down phone lines to steal copper wire.

“They took my entire 911 system, all of my communications for 24 hours down, and we had two incidents where this occurred,“ Redman said. ”So it had a huge impact on public safety. I had to put dispatchers over to another county. We had to transfer calls, but we were dropping 911 calls.”

He said he has the perpetrator in his facility and intends to let Immigration and Customs Enforcement know when he is getting released.

In 2021, Redman was appointed sheriff by the Amador County Board of Supervisors after his predecessor retired.

With fewer officers trying to cover a wider geographical area, every unit is often tied up with emergency calls, including the California Highway Patrol. Redman makes himself as accessible as possible through social media platforms.

In September 2023, Redman introduced a mobile app to notify and better connect the sheriff’s office to Amador County residents and visitors.

“It’s a free app,” he said. “You can look at inmate search and find out who’s in custody. You can contact us. So I’ve been trying to really make us accessible, and the community loves us. It’s great to work in a community where the community actually stands behind law enforcement and champions us.”

Although his line of work can be dangerous, Redman said he finds satisfaction in helping others in need. Even if there is nothing happening during his shift, he checks places where people could hang out to do narcotics and keeps an eye out for DUIs. Sometimes he arrives at work half an hour early.

“If I could have made a living and done it for free, I would have,” he said. “I would come home after working a graveyard shift ... or a mid-p.m. watch. I get home at three o'clock in the morning, and I’m so excited. I’m telling my wife about my day. You know, I made this arrest, and I found this person, and I solved this case, and then that’s how you’re helping the community and helping people. That’s that drive.”

Even though his sense of duty requires him to miss some vacations and some of his kids’ birthdays or games, Redman said he is grateful that his wife and family are supportive, as other officers have a really hard time at home.

As someone who loves to be at the scene and hands-on, Redman has learned to delegate more responsibilities.

In terms of advice for the younger generation, he said the same thing he tells his own daughters: “Every choice has a consequence. So please be mindful of that, because you never know where you’re going to end up, and you want as many doors open in life as possible.”