Mark May's career in law enforcement almost parallels that of Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi.

May, the new Mower County Sheriff's chief deputy and Amazi were hired at the same time to be patrol deputies.

They also became investigators in the sheriff's office.

When Amazi won election as Mower County Sheriff last November, May was her first and only choice to become chief deputy.

Amazi has already distinguished herself as a "hands-on" sheriff, mixing administrative duties of the sheriff's job with field experience.

May said he wants deputies to know he will "be there" in harm's way.

"I still want to be active," May said. "I'm going to respond to calls whenever I can. I want the deputies to know I'll be there and I won't be tied to my desk all the time."

A native of Austin, May is a 1980 graduate of Austin High School. His father, Don, is retired from Austin Utilities and his mother, Pat, is a homemaker.

He has a brother, Jeff, who works in a body shop, and two younger step-brothers and sisters.

He is the only member of his family to pursue a career in law enforcement.

After attending Austin Community College, May earned a bachelor's degree in law enforcement studies at then-Mankato State University.

A stint as a part-time officer in Grand Meadow was followed by work at the Federal Bureau of Prison's facility at Rochester.

May's wife, Tami, is a registered nurse at Austin Medical Center.

The couple has four sons: Chad, 15, Ben, 13, Adam, 9, and Luke, 7.

Coming home

May tested for a Mower County Sheriff's Office deputy's position and then waited for a telephone call. Then-Sheriff Wayne P. Goodnature made that call in 1989 and May was hired.

His six years of duty as a sheriff's deputy stationed in LeRoy was fruitful.

"It gave me a perspective on everything about law enforcement," he said. "I was a patrol deputy, I attended LeRoy City Council meetings, I visited the local schools, I did it all."

May joined then-Sgt. Bruce Sorenson as a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) training officer in out-county schools in 1991.

Again, he made the most of the experience interacting with elementary and junior high school students and their families, as well as school officials and teachers.

"I liked that experience very much," he said. "I've always been interested in kids and this was an opportunity to help them."

Next, May was appointed an investigator in the Mower County Sheriff's Office in 1998, where he worked with veteran detective Glen Farnum.

By then, Goodnature was gone and his long-time chief ceputy, Garry Ellingson, too. Barry J. Simonson was the new county sheriff.

Simonson opened the chief deputy's job for all who were interested. Among the candidates at the time: Farnum, Amazi and May. Amazi tested No. 1 and got the job.

Fast-forward to Amazi's election victory in November and her first official action was to appoint May to be the new chief deputy, when she took over the sheriff's office.

New challenges

As a kid growing up in Austin, May wanted to be a fireman, a policeman -- all the jobs little boys dream about.

"I think all kids go through that phase of wanting to be a fireman or a policeman or something else," he said. "I never really thought about it too much. When I went to college, I originally wanted to get into business administration."

Now in the midst of his 16th year in law enforcement, May has pooled experiences as a small town police officer, corrections officer, patrol deputy, D.A.R.E. officer and investigator.

His investigative skills have been crucial to his work investigating child abuse allegations, including sexual assaults or as May calls them, "the cases nobody really like to get."

May credits a healthy working relationship with the Mower County Department of Human Services' child protection cervices division with aiding in the important work on behalf of children.

However, he is a realist about the false expectations an investigator may have about justice for all victims.

"You work a case and see it

go through to the end and hopefully there is a good outcome," he said.

What are the frustrations of his work?

"The way the process works," he said, which could be called a shorter version of the former question's answer.

There are still the good guys and the bad guys, but the things bad guys do -- as well as their female counterparts -- constantly change.

May also said the sheriff's office is positioned to meet the challenges of fighting crime today.

"We have one of the best working relationships I've ever seen with the Austin Police Department as well as all the other police departments in Mower County," he said. "That's what it takes more than ever today in law enforcement.

"When they need help, they know we will be there," he said.

May also said the sheriff's office's cooperation with state and federal law enforcement agencies gives local law enforcement "more expertise."

Crime-fighting team

If the chief deputy misses any one aspect of his work, it's investigating crimes and particularly the one-on-one encounters with suspects.

"I think I was able to tell within the first two or three minutes whether they were lying or not," he said. "If only they would tell the truth the first time …"

The spectrum of crime in Mower County has changed.

Illegal immigrants, false identification, white supremacists, rival drug-dealing factions and the new drug-of-choice -- methamphetamine -- pose constant tests for peace officers to be both creative and persistent.

"Things have changed and I think it is much more of a challenge today for law enforcement," he said.

May said the sheriff's office received a "thank you" note from a citizen after a recent successful drug raid on a mobile home in the village of Lansing.

"That meant a lot to everyone in the department, because we don't hear that kind of compliments often about our work," he said.

May said he will always apply the "Golden Rule" to his work and that is to "treat everyone how you would like to be treated,"

Also, reaching the chief deputy's milestone at this stage of his career is a very satisfying experience that leaves May humble.

"I've been very fortunate in my career to work with excellent co-workers and other people in law enforcement," he said. "We have a really good department to work with and that means a lot."

Ironically, May, who has no other peace officer in his family history, said his now-deceased grandfather, Glen Ryan, comes closest to being a role model.

"I just enjoyed being with him. We went places together and did things. He was a lot of fun to listen to," he said.

Today, May treasures wife and sons -- particularly, those fishing trips in the summertime that are his passion -- in his leisure time and, the rest of the time, another opportunity to protect and serve in his new role as chief deputy.

Now a new radio communications system for deputies and relieving jail-overcrowding are among the new issues he must address.

For this peace officer, it's all about being there. For wife and family as well as an ever-demanding public, too.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at

lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com