COOPERSTOWN, N.D. — They are one of the smallest sheriff’s departments in North Dakota, but the Griggs County Sheriff’s Office has made state history.

Sheriff Amberly Michaelis and Chief Deputy Danielle Bjorlie are the first female sheriff and chief deputy duo in North Dakota.

Griggs County might look like any other small-town department, but Michaelis and Bjorlie are breaking new ground in law enforcement.

“I never would have guessed it,” Michaelis said.

“Honorable to think we did that here in Griggs County,” she added.

This marks the second time Michaelis has served as sheriff in Griggs County. Her law enforcement career began 15 years ago in Florida.

“At the end of the day, the way we can help people and try to better our community is really what it’s all about,” Michaelis said.

Bjorlie, who has been in law enforcement since 2007, echoed the sentiment. She comes from a family of first responders.

“When I was little, I talked about this the other day, I climbed in the back of my dad’s car when he was responding to a grass fire because I wanted to see what was going on … one of the other firemen ratted me out because he saw me peeking my head over,” Bjorlie said.

Neither woman focuses much on being a female officer.

“You just go out and do your job every day. I don’t really get much flak from other people as being a female,” Michaelis said.

“No one really treats us differently, there’s maybe been a handful of times when it has happened,” Bjorlie said.

In addition to keeping the community safe, the two women are focused on building strong connections with local children, hoping to inspire future leaders.

“Try to be that role model for them like I had for me, just trying to do the best I can so that other kids might be interested,” said Bjorlie.

“I hope that females can look at us as role models and it can open their eyes that they can do whatever they put their mind to,” Michaelis said.

The Hettinger County Sheriff’s Office recently became the second in state history to have both a female sheriff and chief deputy. Sheriff Sarah Warner is the longest-serving female sheriff in North Dakota with 15 years of service.

Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years.