Most of us in Moody County know Troy Wellman as our sheriff.
We’ve seen him responding to calls, attending community events, supporting local organizations, and, during the Christmas season, playing Santa Claus for area children and families. It’s been nearly 30 years that Wellman has worn a badge here — in the county he grew up in, serving the same communities and families he has known most of his life.
This month, however, Wellman is stepping onto a much larger stage.
He will be sworn in on June 11 as president of the National Sheriffs’ Association during the organization’s annual conference in Omaha. Wellman will be just the third South Dakota sheriff to serve in that role.
The opportunity, he said, represents more than a personal and professional milestone. It is a chance to ensure rural communities and smaller sheriff’s offices have a voice in conversations that often shape law enforcement policy nationwide.
“The thing that I am most looking forward to is the ability to represent the smaller Sheriff’s Office. That is why I ran,” Wellman said.
“I will be able to speak into policy, technology input, and national legislation that may impact a smaller agency differently than it impacts a larger one.”
Wellman first joined the Moody County Sheriff’s Office in 1997 after graduating from Western Dakota Technical Institute’s law enforcement program. He was elected sheriff in 2006 and took office in January 2007. Since then, he’s been active in both state and national sheriff associations, previously serving as president of the South Dakota Sheriffs’ Association before moving in recent years through the leadership ranks of the National Sheriffs’ Association.
He said some of the issues discussed at the national level involve larger agencies and federal task forces that operate very differently than a department the size of Moody County’s. But he believes his perspective is valuable for that very reason.
“There are 3,081 sheriffs across the country, and there are more of what are considered small and rural than larger to medium-size offices,” Wellman said.
“Because of the size of our county and staff, I will have the ability to have a voice for the majority of the other Sheriff’s Offices across the country.”
The one-year term requires additional travel and responsibilities. Wellman said his role includes presiding over the association’s conferences, including a winter meeting in Washington, D.C., where sheriffs meet with members of Congress to discuss legislation affecting law enforcement agencies nationwide. He will also represent the association at state conferences, meetings with federal partners, and gatherings of law enforcement organizations throughout the country.
As he serves out his term, Wellman will continue serving as Moody County’s sheriff.
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