Detective Kevin Dodds retired last week from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office after 33 years of service to Douglas County and more than 40 years in law enforcement. He was one of the agency's longest serving members. Dodds began his law enforcement career in 1986 as a reserve deputy for the Lane County Sheriff's Office. In 1993, he joined DCSO as a patrol deputy. Much of his career was spent patrolling southern Douglas County. He was especially proficient at DUII enforcement and, by way of his increased patrols, was a deterrent to potential DUII drivers. In 1999, Dodds became especially interested in forensic evidence detection and collection. He was a part of processing hundreds of crime scenes and his evidence collection (primarily latent fingerprints) helped solve and prosecute many cases. In the same year, Dodds was selected as a field training officer. Through this role, Dodds helped mentor many of the deputies currently serving DCSO. He became a highly respected training officer and fellow deputies often turned to him for guidance. For five years, Dodds served as president of the Douglas County Law Enforcement Association. In 2010, he was selected as DCSO's Investigator of the Quarter. He was honored as the Deputy of the Year by the Roseburg Optimist Club at the 2022 Respect for Law Banquet. In 2020, Dodds was promoted to rank of Detective. In the following years, he worked tirelessly for victims and was dedicated to positive outcomes on his cases. His reputation for integrity, thoroughness and sound judgement made him a respected member of the Major Crimes Team. He worked for five sheriffs including John Pardon, Jim Main, Chris Brown, Jim Burge and John Hanlin. Dodds' commitment to Douglas County is admirable, immeasurable and rare. His professional influence spans multiple generations of DCSO employees and will not soon be forgotten. Congratulations, Detective Dodds, on your well-earned retirement.