Following the retirement of Dave O’Malley at the end of November, the Albany County Board of Commissioners appointed Aaron Appelhans as the new sheriff on December 11. The appointment makes him the first black sheriff in Wyoming.
“It was’t until recently that I decide to run for sheriff,” Appelhans said. “I did know that I wanted to be in charge of a law enforcement agency.”
According to Appelhans, he had no prior law enforcement experience before working for the University of Wyoming Police Department. He had been a UWPD officer for the past ten years.
Appelhans said he was fortunate “to be able to learn and experience many aspects of law enforcement in many different roles” through his work with UWPD.
“I am grateful to be able to bring all of my experiences with me to the Sheriff’s Office and help serve the community on a larger scale,” Appelhans said.
Following the appointment of Appelhans, Representative Cyrus Western, R-Sheridan, apologized for a tweet that referenced the film “Blazing Saddles.” The tweet was a GIF of Sheriff Bart, a former slave in the movie.
The GIF showed the fictional character asking, “Where’s the white women at?” Many people criticized Western for the tweet and its racist connotations before he deleted it.
When asked if there had been any more incidents like this, Appelhans said, “I haven’t had any more incidents brought to my attention, but I have a limited presence on social media so I may not see everything.”
According to Appelhans, the public’s response to his appointment has been positive. He is looking forward to serving the community and leading deputies who want to do the same.
Appelhans shared three of his immediate goals for his first year.
“Increase transparency with my office and the public. Provide more updated and advance training in de-escalation techniques for my deputies so that they can be better equipped to handle calls with people in crisis. Improve recruitment and retention within my office; emphasis on hiring from under-represented populations,” he said.
According to Appelhans, the department has changed some operations in order to provide services in a safe and responsible way due to COVID-19.
