Meet your local law enforcement
By:
Laura Lindblom
Mark your calendars for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office community engagement event, to be held Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m., at the Hill City Center in Hill City. The public is invited to attend and take advantage of this opportunity to visit with sheriff Brian Mueller, local deputies and their supervisors to ask questions, give feedback and make recommendations.
“I think our deputies in our small towns individually do a good job building relationships in the community,” Mueller said, but he has wanted to do a more focused event such as this one for a long time.
“A lot of people don’t understand that the relationship that Pennington County has with small communities through law enforcement contracts is extremely special,” Mueller explained, and the history of these mutually-beneficial small-town contracts will be a topic of the evening’s presentation. “Communities could not provide near the law enforcement coverage without these contracts, and I as the sheriff could not provide the service either.”
Three resident deputies serve Hill City full-time, and one school resource officer, allowing for a continuity of relationship with the residents they serve.
The last three to five years of crime statistics will be presented, “To give people a feel about how things are trending and what we’re focusing on,” Mueller said.
Attendees will have a chance to ask questions, and time get to know local law enforcement.
Mueller encourages young people to attend as well.
“I think kids and young adults a lot of times are not as engaged in activities like this. But I think it is important for them to come down and get to know their law enforcement officers, who are people, too,” he said. “It helps young people connect with law enforcement, so when they may need us as a resource, they feel more comfortable to reach out.”
For anyone who may be interested in working for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, or getting more information, it is always recruiting, and this event is a way to learn more about employment opportunities with the PSCO.