Candidates for Kandiyohi County sheriff describe their differences – West Central Tribune

WILLMAR

— The two candidates for Kandiyohi County sheriff are largely in agreement about what the top issues are for the office — drug enforcement and the importance of personnel among them — but the two law enforcement veterans describe some differences in their leadership styles.

Challenger Eric Tollefson, a Kandyohi County sheriff’s deputy who serves as patrol sergeant, said he’s running for sheriff because “it’s time for Kandiyohi County to have a sheriff who is front and center, leading by example. … Kandiyohi County deserves a sheriff who fosters an environment of integrity, accountability and transparency.”

Tollefson went on to say if elected, residents would not only know who their sheriff is but that they will get to know the men and women in law enforcement as well.

Incumbent Sheriff Eric Holien, who is seeking a second term, said he has been doing those things the last three and a half years. He said he feels he has found a fair balance between being in the office and attending community events in Kandiyohi County.

The two men made those comments during a recent voters forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Willmar Area.

Holien has worked in law enforcement for more than 22 years. He was elected to his first term as sheriff in 2018.

According to West Central Tribune archives, Holien was first hired by the county in 2002 and held various positions including patrol deputy, patrol deputy corporal, SWAT Team assistant leader and leader, field training officer, defensive tactics instructor, Taser instructor, active shooter instructor and firearms instructor.

Macy Moore / West Central Tribune

He has a wife and two children. He also owns and operates Great Lakes Training Group, a business in Willmar that offers judo, jiujitsu and firearms training. Holien during the Oct. 6 forum cited his work with a nonprofit organization for underprivileged and troubled youth, teaching them judo and jiujitsu.

Tollefson during the forum identified himself as a person with local roots. He said he’s a fifth-generation resident of Kandiyohi County, specifically in the city of Sunburg, where he grew up and currently lives with his wife.

Macy Moore / West Central Tribune

Tollefson graduated from St. Cloud State University with a bachelor’s degree in biology and went on to obtain law enforcement skills training at Alexandria Technical College.

He was first hired by the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office in 1996. According to West Central Tribune archives, he has held a variety of positions there including patrol deputy, detective, patrol sergeant, field training officer, water patrol officer, snowmobile and ATV patrol officer, cold water rescue team member, drug recognition evaluator and a member of the SWAT team.

He also served 12 years of the Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg School Board.

Both candidates during last week’s forum said they seek to improve community policing.

Tollefson recalled a former sheriff visiting with him while he worked at his dad’s gas station as a teenager.

“There’s a lot of simple things that we can do without any sort of complex initiatives. We don’t have to pay at the pump, we can just get out and talk to people,” he said.

Holien said, “If you look at what we’re doing now as compared to where we were at, we’re doing those things already.”

However, he also said that some of those things can be improved upon and that he would continue to do so if re-elected. He also cited the reinstatement of the crime prevention officers during his first term as sheriff.

Both candidates also identified employee retention, recruitment and wellness as a top issue.

Holien cited a new employee wellness program. He also said that the Sheriff’s Office is expanding its recruitment efforts, alongside other county departments, to various colleges in Minnesota.

As far as retaining new employees, Holien said empowering employees is the most important factor in retention.

He also said that supervisors get scared by the way he leads because, “I do empower my employees. I want the lowest level staff member to understand that I will listen to you. I will continue to listen to you and my decisions are not always necessarily the best decisions, but I’ll incorporate yours when I can.”

Tollefson said he feels there should be a new recruitment video, highlighting staff with different positions in the department and highlighting what Kandiyohi County has to offer as a community. He envisions a team of younger staff to reach out to educational institutions, including high schools.

The candidates on Thursday also cited mental health and drug enforcement issues.

On the question of mental health resources, Tollefson said he wants to see a dedicated mental health crisis response team. This would be an integrated team of plainclothes officers, health and human services and local clinicians or health care providers.

“We need to take a softer approach,” Tollefson said. “We have to realize just us being called is increasing their trauma. We generally show up and do not lower people’s blood pressure.”

Holien said the county currently has a mobile crisis team — the Woodland Centers team serves several area counties including Kandiyohi — but acknowledged it does have some restrictions. “We have been working with local entities … and that’s what we’ll continue to do,” Holien said.

The overlap of both candidates showed some subtle differences when it came to addressing drug enforcement.

Holien noted that the Sheriff’s Office has seen the highest numbers of drug seizures within the last two years. He attributed some of that to the pandemic in 2020, but he also felt a “weakened” criminal justice system was a significant factor. He said he feels that there are individuals not serving the time they should, but he stressed that the goal is to put away dealers, not addicts.

Tollefson said that drugs are the root of almost everything law enforcement deals with.

“When you really attack the drug problem (with) drug enforcement, you’re not just affecting the drug problem but you’re also affecting all the other criminal elements as well,” he said.

Absentee voting is open now in Minnesota. The general election is Nov. 8.