Buena Vista reserve leader elected state president, unit wins honors

Dave Strand, a reserve deputy who leads the Sheriff Reserve Officers Association of Buena Vista County, was elected president of the Iowa State Reserve Law Officers Association following the annual Iowa Reserve Conference held March 27–29 in West Des Moines. Buena Vista’s reserve unit was named the Outstanding Unit for 2025 at the same conference and returned to Storm Lake with trophies for marksmanship.

The conference drew state attention: Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer attended the ISRLOA gathering at the West Des Moines Marriott on March 28. Strand succeeds the association’s previous president, identified in conference materials as Walter DeBoch, and will now chair the statewide body that organizes training, seminars, competitions and monitors legislation affecting reserve officers.

Strand’s election places a Buena Vista official in a position to influence concrete statewide agendas: ISRLOA leadership sets conference programming, organizes training curricula and oversees recognition programs. That authority, combined with the unit’s new Outstanding Unit honor and marksmanship wins, creates a practical pathway for bringing expanded training or pilot programs to Buena Vista County, which could change how reserve deputies cover events such as RAGBRAI, the county fair, Thresherman’s, National Night Out and the Christmas Parade.

Locally, the county reserve program has an established record. Buena Vista County implemented its Reserve Program in 1999; the sheriff’s office reports reserve deputies log a combined roughly 2,200 hours per year and maintain a routine commitment of at least 8 hours per month plus meetings and training. The unit previously won the Donald H. Mackaman Outstanding Unit of Iowa award in 2012 and 2018, underscoring the program’s sustained performance before the 2025 recognition.

The county’s reserve roster shown in conference materials and on the sheriff’s site includes Scott Mack, Jeff Goodman, Dave Strand, Walter De Bock (spelled De Bock on the sheriff’s listing), Marco or Mario Barahona, Josh Brown, Kyle Bailey and Steve Cross. The Sheriff Reserve Officers Association of Buena Vista County operates as a registered nonprofit, EIN 27-5360604, with David Strand listed as a principal officer in filings, giving the unit an institutional base for fundraising and training activities.

Statewide context sharpens the local stakes: Iowa counts more than 1,200 active reserve officers across over 100 reserve units, and training requirements vary by agency with some counties using an initial Iowa Law Enforcement Academy-certified classroom block of about 96 hours followed by supervised field time ranging from roughly 40 hours to several hundred hours. Legislative change in 2023 eliminated a mandatory retirement age for trained reserve police officers and volunteer firefighters, expanding retention and recruitment options that Strand may press to standardize or promote.

With Strand at the association helm and the county unit carrying the Outstanding Unit trophy, Buena Vista County now has direct representation in statewide training and policy conversations; Sheriff Kory Elston and the local reserve leadership will be positioned to leverage that connection to reduce overtime costs, enhance event security and pursue grant or training opportunities that strengthen the county’s volunteer policing capacity.