Public Safety & Crime Prevention
Protecting the community is the Sheriff’s foremost responsibility. Joel will focus on proactive, visible policing that prioritizes serious and violent crime, sexual assault, domestic violence, drug trafficking, and repeat offenders, while ensuring timely, professional responses across Dawson County.
Community Trust & Accountability
Effective law enforcement depends on trust. Joel will emphasize transparency, fairness, and consistency, ensuring deputies are held to high ethical standards and every resident is treated with respect and equal protection under the law.
Support for Deputies & Staff
Strong leadership starts within the department. Joel will prioritize training, equipment, officer safety, and mental-health support while recruiting and retaining qualified deputies and developing future leaders from within the office.
Rural & Agricultural Community Policing
Joel understands the challenges of distance and response times across rural Dawson County and believes every resident deserves reliable law enforcement support, regardless of where they live.
Victim Support & Advocacy
Victims deserve dignity, compassion, and clear communication. Joel supports survivor-centered responses and strong coordination with victim advocates to ensure those affected by crime are treated with respect and care throughout the process.
Jail & Corrections Management
As Sheriff, Joel will provide strong oversight and support for jail operations, ensuring the warden, corrections officers, and staff have the resources, training, and leadership needed to operate the facility safely, lawfully, and professionally. He supports responsible reentry efforts that reduce repeat offenses and protect public safety.
Fiscal Responsibility
Joel is committed to responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars through transparent budgeting, appropriate pursuit of state and federal grants, and sound financial decisions that reduce the local tax burden.
Drug Use & Mental Health Response
Substance abuse and mental-health crises impact public safety. Joel supports focused enforcement against drug dealers, while also working with treatment providers and community partners to support individuals seeking recovery, recognizing addiction as both a public-safety and public-health issue.
Interagency Coordination & Professional Partnerships
Public safety works best when agencies work together. Joel will maintain strong, professional coordination with local police, fire and EMS, the county attorney, state partners, and federal agencies to ensure clear communication and shared resources.
Training, Technology & Professional Standards
Law enforcement must evolve responsibly. Joel supports ongoing training, clear professional standards, and thoughtful use of technology to improve safety, accountability, and efficiency, while respecting privacy and constitutional rights.
Youth Engagement & Early Intervention
Preventing crime starts early. Joel believes in positive engagement with youth, early intervention when problems arise, and collaboration with families, schools, and community partners to help keep young people on the right path.
Office Leadership & Operations
The Sheriff’s Office must be well-led and accountable. Joel will implement clear policies, strong supervision, and a professional work culture that supports deputies and staff, ensures consistency and fairness in decision-making, and earns public confidence.
Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Response
Joel will ensure the Sheriff’s Office is prepared to respond to natural disasters and emergencies through strong coordination with local agencies, up-to-date emergency plans, and clear communication to protect lives and property when it matters most.
Constitutional Policing
Joel is committed to upholding and defending the U.S. and Montana Constitutions, protecting civil liberties, and enforcing the law fairly, consistently, and without favoritism, because public safety and individual rights must always go hand in hand.
Joel’s goal is simple: a safer county, a stronger Sheriff’s Office, and a department that serves every resident with integrity, professionalism, and respect — today and into the future.