BROKEN BOW – 1998 was quite a year of firsts: Google launched, the inaugural BCS football season kicked off, the first Euro coin was minted, and Custer County Sheriff Dan Osmond began his career with the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.
That was 25 years ago, and while the search engine and across-the-pond currency still lumber on, Osmond boasts a career that has far outlasted the now-defunct championship selection system with far less controversy, much to the relief of the county.
Osmond, who last week celebrated an official 25 years with the county, says he attributes his longevity in what can be a harsh field to the support around him.
“I feel as though I have a really good group of employees. We’ve worked really hard to build the offices, the jail, and the Sheriff’s Office. It’s a good group of people, and it’s always nice to come to work with a good group of people.”
Those good people, Sheriff Osmond says, helped him celebrate his milestone on Friday in a way that only those who know him best could.
“We had a little get-together. They had a cake and a plaque for me, just a small celebration. I’m not a big celebration type of guy. It was handled appropriately.”
The gathering included coworkers, a handful of friends, and Ted Henderson, the previous Custer County Sheriff and the person who brought Osmond aboard.
Osmond says he continues to serve the county because of the help he can directly provide to its citizens.
“Once in a while, you get to make a difference in people’s lives, and that’s a really good feeling. When someone comes up and thanks you for something you did, that just feels good, because you have some power there where you can change something for somebody.”
Making a positive impact on Custer County’s youth, the Sheriff says, has been especially rewarding over the years.
“I teach D.A.R.E. classes, and I really enjoy doing that. With some of the younger generation, you can maybe make a connection and help teach them or help develop a positive relationship between youth and law enforcement. That’s a really good feeling.”
Now in his 13th year as County Sheriff, Osmond admits that the job, for all it gives the community, is not without its occasional, understandable difficulties; with his experience in the field, he has begun pushing for the enhancement of mental healthcare for law enforcement officers in hopes that more of his colleagues will be able to reach his most recent milestone and beyond.
“It’s always kind of been: ‘we need to be tough and not talk about these issues,’ which is probably not the best way to go about that. A lot has been learned, and I’m hoping that the newer generations are finding better ways to deal with things that we see and are a part of. A lot of people don’t make it in this career, and I think that’s just because we don’t deal with these things properly.”
In addition to teaching youth classes, advocating for officers’ mental health, and engaging with his county’s community, Osmond has been president of the Sheriff’s Association and is in his second term as a member of the Police Standards Advisory Council, a governor-appointed position.
He has nearly finished training two deputies, and as of this writing has filled all vacancies within his office. Never one for pomp, Sheriff Osmond sums up his quarter century of achievements in a sentiment as understated as his anniversary party: “It’s interesting.”
