FORT SMITH — Newly elected Sebastian County Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck is back to work after a 16-month leave of absence, and his wife, Dr. Karen Hollenbeck, St. Boniface School principal, couldn’t be happier.
“Bill is the best man for the job because he is so passionate about the way that the sheriff’s office ought to be run,” she said.
Hollenbeck’s decision to run for sheriff of the office where he served as captain of the Criminal Investigation Division involved sacrifice for the entire family. Because he faced a primary battle against Frank Atkinson, the incumbent, followed by the November election against Tommy Young, a fellow employee, Hollenbeck took a leave of absence from September 2009 until he was sworn in as sheriff Jan. 1.
“I had a great deal of support within the department,” he said, “and I felt that by taking a leave of absence, there would be less stress on my fellow employees and for the department as a whole. I did not want to create a hostile working environment.”
During the 14-month campaign, Karen Hollenbeck became the sole support of their family, including children Claire, 10, and twins Matthew and Grace Ann, 8, and her husband’s most ardent supporter.
“Karen was my rock during my campaign,” Bill Hollenbeck said. “She attended countless events, listened to numerous speeches and stood by my side throughout. She even stood on the corner and held a campaign sign the night of the election.”
The couple, who have been married almost 14 years, have always encouraged and supported one another’s careers. They were introduced by Karen’s sister, Angie Geels, an employee in the prosecuting attorney’s office. Because Bill’s mother was Catholic and his father was Protestant, he “bounced back and forth” between two religions as a child.
“Karen brought me back into the Catholic Church,” he said. “I was confirmed after we started dating.”
After they married, Karen became stepmother to two children from his first marriage — Melinda, now 26, and Thomas, now 21. As their own family grew, she continued to work as assistant principal of Tilles Elementary School and, since 2002, as principal of St. Boniface School. During that time, with her husband’s encouragement, she earned a doctorate in education from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 2007.
“It would have been impossible for me to do what I do without my supportive husband and parents,” she said. “Bill brings the kids to school every morning, volunteers whenever possible and coaches a T-ball team.”
“Karen always inspired me to further my education and set goals,” Bill said.
Before meeting Karen, he had attended the FBI National Academy for a leadership program. Only 1 percent of officers nationwide are recommended for this honor. Recently he received a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from John Brown University. Both Hollenbecks are graduates of Leadership Fort Smith.
As a part-time adjunct professor of criminology at University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Hollenbeck saw how continuing education builds a more professional staff. One of his first accomplishments in office has been to increase in-service training.
“We have established an Ethics and Professional Standards Unit that addresses unethical and unprofessional behavior. The unit also is responsible for in-service training in ethics and professional standards,” he said.
Hollenbeck is very aware that sheriffs are the only members of law enforcement who are elected officials directly accountable to the voters, and he takes that very seriously. He relies on his religious faith to help him as he serves as Sebastian County’s chief peacekeeper.
“My wife Karen is a great example of how Catholic faith can positively influence your job,” he said. “I have learned through my faith that I can serve and protect and enforce the law, but do it with compassion. I have also learned that just because someone commits a crime, that is not the defining characteristic of that person. There are, however, real ’bad guys’ in our world.
“I feel that being in law enforcement is a calling from God. I also feel that God uses law enforcement officers as tools to help people have more prosperous and safe lives and to help them to safely experience all of his blessings. I pray every night for our men and women who have this calling. I ask God’s blessing on our department as well.”
