Glennville Search and Rescue

The Kern County Sheriff's Office has an established history of providing top quality search and rescue activities to the citizens of Kern County.  We are interested in continuing this tradition by creating a new, unique unit entitled Kern County Sheriff’s Department, Glennville Search and Rescue, “(GVSAR)” led by Karl Johnson and Kenneth Richter. Starting a new group requires strong leadership, organization, and commitment.  Karl is a former United States Marine and retired Sheriff’s Deputy, serving 26 years in the Kern County Sheriff’s Department.  He was instrumental in the development and start-up of several new programs at the Sheriff’s Department, including the Mounted Sheriff Patrol Unit and the Mustang Inmate Training Unit.  Karl is currently President of the Kern County Cattlemen’s Association and is a life-long cattle rancher, with vast knowledge of and experience with horses, cattle, and the Greenhorn Mountains.  

Glennville encompasses an area of 500 square miles. The area is made up of national forests, large cattle ranches and oilfields.  There are approximately 700 people living within the Glennville area however, there are many that work in the oilfields or visit the National Forest for hunting, hiking and camping daily.  The Glennville area goes from an elevation of about 500 feet above sea level at Highway 65 to an elevation of over 6,000 feet above sea level at the Greenhorn Summit.