Lincoln County sheriff looking to add more deputies

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -Lincoln County is one of the fastest-growing counties in South Dakota and is now the third-largest in the state. The sheriff is now trying to keep up with that growth.

“It’s a large county. I think it’s 578 square miles. So we’re covering a lot of ground,” said Sheriff Swenson.

As the community expands, so do calls for service

The sheriff’s office does a variety of things. We work with civil papers, investigate crimes, we take care of traffic complaints and we’re also the sole law enforcement agency for the city of Harrisburg," said Sheriff Swenson.

He is currently looking to hire four deputy sheriffs. One is to fill the position of someone who is retiring. The other three are new positions.

The sheriff’s office is offering a $5,000 dollar sign-on bonus to anyone who is already a South Dakota certified officer or any out of state officers who qualify to take the South Dakota reciprocity test.

“It gets us around having to send people to the academy to train them, which is expensive and time-consuming,” said Sheriff Swenson.

“If you hire someone today, it’s a 6 to 8 month process to get them certified and ready to hit the road.”

Sheriff Swenson says they are willing to hire those who aren’t yet certified, but they would not receive the bonus. His main focus is on hiring those that already have experience and training so they can get to work right away.

If you’re interested in applying click here.

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