I am the best candidate for Carver County Sheriff because I bring nearly 28 years of law enforcement experience, including 23 years serving Carver County and more than seven years as Chief Deputy Sheriff. I have led every major division of the Sheriff’s Office, including Patrol, Investigations, Jail Operations, Communications, Emergency Management, and Administration. I understand our staff, operations, and communities, and I am prepared to lead on day one. My priorities are public safety, strong community relationships, mental health response, staff wellness, technology, transparency, and accountability. I am committed to building on the success that has made Carver County one of Minnesota’s safest counties.
My top priorities as Sheriff are public safety and community relationships, improving mental health response, and investing in our employees. Public safety is strongest when residents trust and engage with their Sheriff’s Office. We must continue building partnerships throughout the county. We also need effective, compassionate responses to mental health challenges. Finally, recruiting, developing, and retaining exceptional employees is essential to maintaining a professional and trusted agency.
Transparency builds trust. As Sheriff, I will provide timely and accurate information, maintain strong relationships with residents and local media, and use data to report agency performance and outcomes. I support clear policies, professional accountability, body-worn cameras, and meaningful community engagement. Residents deserve to understand how decisions are made, how resources are used, and how their Sheriff’s Office is serving them with integrity, transparency, and accountability.
My leadership style is rooted in situational leadership, collaboration, accountability, and servant leadership. Since becoming a supervisor in 2011 and Chief Deputy Sheriff in 2019, I have focused on developing strong teams, supporting employee wellness, and building a culture of trust and professionalism. I believe leaders must adapt to circumstances, communicate clearly, set expectations, and provide staff with the tools and support needed to succeed while serving others with integrity.
Gun violence harms families and communities. The Sheriff’s Office can help prevent it through proactive policing, early intervention, and strong partnerships with schools, mental health providers, and community organizations. We support responsible firearm education and provide free gun locks and safety materials. By investing in youth programs, addressing mental health needs, building trust, and holding offenders accountable, we help create safer communities.
The Sheriff’s Office’s first responsibility is protecting the residents of Carver County and enforcing Minnesota law. We work closely with our local, state, and federal partners on crimes like human and sex trafficking to protect victims and hold offenders accountable. These partnerships provide valuable resources and expertise while keeping our focus on public safety, victim protection, crime prevention, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve.
I am a Special Agent with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the states top law enforcement agency. I also serve on the Crime Scene team and respond to some of the most significant crime scenes across the state. I started my career as a 911 dispatcher in Carver County. I have worked patrol, Investigations and built a school resource officer program from the ground up. In addition, I have also built, and continue to run, two statewide programs. Having worked for a sheriff's office, a police department and the state, I have the most diverse background of any of the candidates. I don't see things through a single department lens but through a statewide one. I have not only build relationships across the state, but nationally as well.
1) Improve the culture which will positively impact recruitment and retention. As of 6.15.2026, 75% of the deputies have less than 5 years with the sheriff's office.
2) School safety is a top priority of mine. I have the expertise and knowledge to keep our school and kids safe even if the district can't afford to contract with the department.
3) Expand the mental health response to keep the deputies and those they are called to assist safe without additional cost to taxpayers.
I will implement a weekly segment on Facebook where I (or another employee in my absence) provide an update on what the sheriff's office has been doing, what kind of calls we've responded to and events happening in the following week. An annual report will also be published and available in print or on the sheriff's office website. This will let voters know what we've done the previous year and where we are going. I will be out at community events and in a squad car responding to calls.
I will bring "we" vs "I" leadership to the sheriff's office and will never ask a deputy to do something I'm not willing to do. I can make difficult decisions and will stand behind those decisions even when it may not be popular. I answer to the voters, not a political party. I have been a dispatcher, patrol officer, investigator, stood up multiple programs and I am currently a Special Agent with the states top law enforcement agency. I bring a statewide lens not just a local lens.
One of the most important things the sheriff's office can do is provide education in schools, specialty groups, places of worship, etc. Education needs to include safe storage and responsible ownership. We also need to look at providing gun locks to people. We need to hold those people accountable who commit crimes or threaten harm with a firearm.
There are 3 types of "detainers" ICE issues. 1) Detainer 2) Administrative warrant 3) Criminal warrant. #1 and 2 are civil and local law enforcement cannot enforce these, if we were to do so it would be an unlawful detention and this could potentially set the county up for a lawsuit in the hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. If the person is in custody for another crime, ICE may be notified. Due to most ICE detainers being civil, local law enforcement should not play a role.
