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BEMIDJI 鈥� With the primary election for the office of Beltrami County Sheriff coming up on Tuesday, Aug. 9, three candidates hope to become the two who will advance to the general election taking place Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Current Sheriff Ernie Beitel announced in February that he would not be seeking reelection in 2022.

With more than 21 years of law enforcement experience, Jason Riggs currently acts as a captain with the Beltrami County Sheriff鈥檚 Office where he has worked for the past 18 years. He has also served as the commander of the Headwaters SWAT team since 2012.

Detailing his activities on the campaign trail 鈥� complete with community group meetings, door knocking, attending events and posting signs 鈥� Riggs looks forward to forging stronger trust between law enforcement and community if elected as sheriff.

鈥淟aw enforcement needs to take back the community by becoming a part of it again,鈥� Riggs said. 鈥淲ith the backlash from the George Floyd incident among other incidents in the country, we need to be seen as public servants again and go back to our traditional roots as peace officers.鈥�

Regarding a Jail Needs and Feasibility Study for the Beltrami County Jail 鈥� results for which will be provided to the Board of Commissioners in August 鈥� Riggs anticipates the building of a new jail and offering better services for inmates.

鈥淭he future population of the jail looks fairly staggering. The current footprint and internals of the jail would no longer satisfy its growth,鈥� Riggs said. 鈥淚 anticipate the need for a new facility operated with a much lower staff-to-inmate ratio, providing better services medically and better services mental health-wise.鈥�

With public safety as his main priority, Riggs highlighted his readiness to serve Beltrami County in a new capacity.

鈥淚鈥檝e been feeling a lot of good support in the community,鈥� Riggs added. 鈥淚 look forward to talking with people about public safety, and the future of rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.鈥�

While Chief Deputy Jarrett Walton doesn鈥檛 consider himself a politician, he hopes his 25 years of law enforcement experience, 20 of which have been with the Beltrami County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, will land him the sheriff鈥檚 position once November comes around.

鈥淚鈥檝e been the chief deputy the last three years, during which we鈥檝e implemented things that have been well-received,鈥� Walton said.

Emphasizing a holistic approach when it comes to the well-being of prison inmates, Walton highlighted the need for more support for those afflicted by mental health and substance abuse issues, though still holding them accountable for their actions.

鈥淲e have to actively hold people accountable and provide them these services. They鈥檙e not bad people. They make bad decisions or because of health or substance abuse issues,鈥� Walton said. 鈥淒rugs drive a lot of criminal activity. We鈥檙e never going to stop the problem, but can deter people or reduce the demand.

鈥淐hemical dependency causes lots of collateral damage to families. If we can affect even 15 to 20% (of addicts) and make their personal lives better by tackling underlying issues, it鈥檚 a win for everyone in the process.鈥�

Having supervised all divisions of the sheriff鈥檚 office, Walton sees transparency as the link between law enforcement and the community, and the key for forging trust.

鈥淏eing out there and partnering with the community, it鈥檚 to make the community healthier and safer,鈥� Walton left off. 鈥淲e follow a very deliberate process to make sure we make good, feasible decisions.鈥�

Hubbard County narcotics investigator Bidal Duran believes his post-secondary pursuits and 鈥渙utside-in鈥� point of view will give him a leg up once residents cast their votes for the next sheriff.

Currently pursuing his doctorate in public management and criminal justice leadership, Duran is also a former Bemidji police officer and has been in law enforcement since 2013.

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Regarding the jail feasibility study, he said, 鈥渁ddressing the issue from the inside out hasn鈥檛 been working out. We have to talk with other individuals to see how (the jail) can adjust to our community instead of throwing another big jail in here.

鈥淭here are lots of moving parts and we have to look at the big picture,鈥� Duran continued. 鈥淗aving the ability to see our budget and going over the avenues to financially afford that, it鈥檚 not really an easy fix.鈥�

Duran also noted difficulties with properly staffing the jail in turn affecting public safety when there鈥檚 a limit to the number of arrests that can be made.

Willing to face challenges surrounding drug addiction, racial tensions and transparency between law enforcement and the community, Duran emphasized his commitment to serving all people of Beltrami County.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 separate yourself from people if you鈥檙e a man for the people,鈥� Duran left off. 鈥淗aving first-hand knowledge of the community because of my current position, I understand the true needs of people because I work with (them) every day.鈥�