In his 10 years with the University of Wyoming Police Department, Aaron Appelhans was a detective, a patrol sergeant and an administrator. He dabbled in crime prevention, public information and supervision. He boasts a heavy toolbelt of training and instruction certifications. Even before he put on the badge, he says his time traveling the state as a university admissions officer taught him how to talk to anyone. Now, heâs graduated. And heâs making history as the stateâs first Black sheriff, joining its first Black police chief, Jim Byrd, who broke that barrier in 1966. With his appointment, Appelhans becomes part of an unprecedented group of Black sheriffs taking office across the country following Novemberâs election. In Georgia, three counties elected their first Black sheriffs. Stafford County in New Hampshire voted for Mark Brave, a lieutenant who publicly supports expanding body camera usage and making the agencyâs operations more transparent. Eric Fagan made headlines in Fort Bend County, Texas, winning election on a reform platform focused on increased training and public oversight. The last Black person to hold that office was a former slave, elected in 1876.