Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder retires Friday after more than 40 years with the sheriff's office, closing out a career that took him from unpaid volunteer to the county's top law enforcement officer.
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A desire to serve his community first drew Linder to law enforcement.
"It was something you wanted to do just to give back to the community," Linder said.
Linder began as an unpaid volunteer in the sheriff's reserve program, bringing skills in scuba diving and search and rescue with him.
"I was really interested in scuba diving and search and rescue and those things and I thought those were things I could bring to the program as well," Linder said.
He later left his family's business to join the drug unit, working undercover to set up buys and busts.
"It could be nerve-racking. The good thing is you knew who you were dealing with for the most part and you knew who your backup was," Linder said.
Linder moved up the ranks from patrol deputy to sergeant, then lieutenant, before being elected sheriff in 2011. He also spent four years with the U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force.
"We got to go after the worst of the worst in our community. We went after one of America's most wanted," Linder said.
Beyond arrests, Linder said he is proud of programs launched during his tenure that keep offenders out of jail through breathalyzer compliance and community service.
His time with the department also saw major advances in technology and equipment, and the resolution of several high-profile cold cases — including the 1998 murder of Miranda Fenner at a movie store in Laurel, and the 1973 murders of Linda and Clifford Bernhardt, who were killed in their home in the Heights.
"That was one that was solved with technology, with genealogy and DNA. The Fenner case was another one that was very important to us — and I would say on cold case stuff, stand by because we are not done because even after I'm gone they are not done," Linder said.
Linder said he has no plans to seek public office, but says he expects that he will help with the education process as the county seeks to pass a bond that would increase capacity at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility.
But mostly, he says he’s looking forward to time at home with his wife and their animals.
"We've got a lot of stuff to do on the place. We've got horses, we've got fence work to do, corral building — just take some time to do things that we want to do," Linder said.
But he hasn’t lost his desire to give back and help others—the things that got him into law enforcement in the first place.
"My health is good. I'm leaving on my own terms, but it's not like I don't want to be helpful to the community if that should come," Linder said.
