Thirty years ago, Shirley Featherstone began working for Bingham County as a dispatcher in the 911 center and now she oversees dispatching all county and court legal documents to keep the county running smoothly.
It all began when she followed her mother, Dispatcher Kathy Byrd, to work. As a teenager, she was intrigued and felt the 911 center “draw her in.” She wanted to learn everything about it.
She began volunteering as a reserve dispatcher in the fall of 1993, working 40 hours after her regular 40-hour job. By the following spring,she was offered a position.
Over the next 17 years, Featherstone found the camaraderie of the department “amazing” and loved working there.
Always looking to learn new things, Featherstone listened when former Bingham County Sheriff Dave Johnson suggested she apply for the civil office opening. Again, she was intrigued. She applied in 2010 and was hired and made the transition from dispatching aid during emergencies to dispatching vital documents for the legal workings of the county.
At first, learning about Idaho state statutes was intimidating, but she has always enjoyed learning. And, she found that she actually enjoys reading state statutes. She is also fascinated by how the statutes are interpreted differently by different people, depending on their perceptions. The laws aren’t as black and white as they seem on the surface.
As the manager of the civil department, Featherstone handles a broad range of legal documents for the court clerk, county prosecutor and planning and zoning department — such as protection orders, salary garnishments, property sales, warrants, summons and notifications. Last year, there were about 4,000 papers served, all of which Featherstone prepared, input into the system and had dispatched by her assistant, Sgt. Todd Howell.
Featherstone strongly feels the importance of timely getting the right papers to the right people to protect everyone’s rights under the law.
The range of knowledge required to accurately dispatch this wide range of papers is vast. In the beginning, Featherstone took classes at the Idaho Association of Sheriff’s Civil School. From those classes and her own study, she compiled a Bingham County policy and procedure manual.
Soon, she was asked to teach and eventually oversee the Civil School classes for other civil clerks and deputies around the state.
Featherstone’s teaching led to co-authoring a procedure manual for the Tri-County Sheriff’s Association — which now covers 19 counties in Southeast Idaho. With Madison County civil tech Marissa Edelmayer, Bannock County civil tech Terra Mark, and Jefferson County civil tech Denise Bradley, they produced an eight-segment binder with all the proper procedures and supporting state statutes for each category of papers they prepare.
Two years ago, this reference manual was given out at the Idaho Association of Sheriff’s Civil School to benefit all civil clerks. It was updated last year to keep current with legislative changes.
In honoring Featherstone for 30 years of service to Bingham County, Chief Deputy Jordyn Nebeker, said her hard work is well acknowledged across the state, and he felt that if there was a way for her to duplicate the manual nationally, she would find a way. Featherstone said that she found working for the county “extremely fulfilling and rewarding.”
Adding to the service recognition, Bingham County Commission Chairman Whitney Manwaring noted that for the last 13 years Featherstone has also been assisting with the upkeep of the county web page. Apparently, a year after switching to the civil department, in 2011 Johnson again approached Featherstone for help with the web page. He had heard that she was interested in and learning about web pages.
A love for learning is a common thread in Featherstone’s approach to life. She feels that “knowledge is power” and said that she loves to learn. It is also apparent that she loves to serve, whether that is through dispatching aid, legal papers or knowledge. In doing so over the last 30 years, Featherstone has significantly served Bingham County —- and the state of Idaho.
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