On this day in 1987, LaMoure County Sheriff Luther Edmunds pushed county commissioners to hire a second deputy, citing long work weeks, increasing demands and the need for 24-hour coverage.

Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:

By Patrick Springer
STAFF WRITER

LaMoure County Sheriff Luther Edmunds, at odds with county commissioners over hiring a second deputy, says he is exasperated almost to the point of swearing.

Swearing in, not swearing at. The sheriff says he considered deputizing county commissioners to help provide round-the-clock law enforcement to his southeastern North Dakota county.

But he dismissed that idea. Instead, at a budget hearing today, he will ask commissioners to accompany him and his deputy while on patrol.

“Maybe then they’ll see what we go through,” Edmunds said Monday. “To see what our job entails.”

Edmunds said he and his deputy, Marke Roberts, often put in 116-hour work weeks in order to provide 24-hour coverage. He wants the county commission to hire a second deputy and give him and his deputy $100-a-month pay raises.

Failing that, he would like a $200-a-month pay raise for he and his deputy. Edmunds’ salary is $18,200 a year. Working a 116-hour week, his wage would be something more than $2 an hour — less than the minimum wage.

An elected official, Edmunds acknowledged he asked for the job. “But I have a deputy,” he said, adding he worries the deputy will go elsewhere if a back-up is not supplied.

“I’d rather have a deputy than a pay raise,” he said.

Besides the $15,500 a year Edmunds would pay a trained deputy, the county would have to pay a $7,000 car allowance, the sheriff said. The law officers use their own cars and are paid mileage.

Not all on-duty hours are spent on the street. Many hours are spent at home on call. “There’s no way that you can take off with the family and go somewhere,” he said.

Milt Lacina, LaMoure County Commission chairman, said the board is trying hard to meet the county’s needs without raising property taxes.

Lacina does not favor adding a deputy. “I don’t think we need one,” he said. “I really don’t.”

But Lacina said the raise issue is negotiable. The commission is considering a plan to raise by $50 the county’s monthly contribution to each employee’s health insurance.

“If we give them any more raises we’ll have to raise taxes, and we’re trying to avoid that,” Lacina said. “We’re right on the edge now.”

The need for a second deputy never was raised before Edmunds asked for one this year, Lacina said, questioning the sudden need. Edmunds was elected sheriff last fall; he was a deputy for the previous two years.

Edmunds said the job of law enforcement is becoming increasingly complex, and therefore time-consuming. There is more crime, and the demand for serving civil papers is up significantly, he said.

“So really we’re doing a whole lot more than they used to,” Edmunds said.

Lacina said he has no complaints about the service given by the sheriff’s office, but questions Edmunds’ position.

“It’s funny the last sheriff didn’t complain,” he said.

Edmunds’ predecessor, Ray Laning, who was LaMoure County sheriff for four years, said he did not complain — but believes a second deputy is needed.

“We needed one,” he said, “but I never asked for one. I guess I was raised in the old school where if you had a job you do it.”

Laning added, “If I had to vote on it, I’d vote for another deputy.”

If taxpayers were aware of the need, they would agree, he said. “I think if they knew the situation, they’d go along with it,” he said.

Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.

As of this week, South Dakota Urban Indian Health in Sioux Falls is dedicating Mondays to walk in appointments, according to a press release from the organization.

South Dakota Urban Indian Health is a nonprofit funded through a contract with the Indian Health Service. The nonprofit seeks to provide care of mind, body and spirit through practices grounded in Indigenous values.

However, the clinic serves all South Dakotans. The hours for walk in appointments is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Monday.

The organization’s executive director, Colette Keith, said the move helps “serve the community in an even more impactful way.”

“We are excited that the Walk in Clinic in Sioux Falls will provide relatives with patient-centered care when they need it most,” said Tami Hoige-Lorenzen, Chief Medical Officer at SDUIH. “We know life happens and now relatives will have the choice to come at a time that works for them.”

The clinic is at 1200 North West Avenue in Sioux Falls. There is transportation support available.