Aaron Appelhans took over the job in December after the previous sheriff retired mid-term. Author: Nelson Garcia Updated: 9:52 PM MDT May 2, 2021
LARAMIE, Wyoming In the history of the wild frontier, Wyoming has never had a man like Sheriff Aaron Appelhans. I didn t have any understanding of what Wyoming was like, Appelhans said with a laugh.
He first came to Laramie to attend the University of Wyoming, where he learned of the state s cowboy culture and the weather. Even though I ve been here for more than 20 years, I still think that s probably the one thing I m still trying to get used to, Appelhans said.
Originally published on March 10, 2021 4:25 pm
For the first time in its 131-year history, the state of Wyoming has a Black sheriff.
Aaron Appelhans was appointed to lead the Albany County Sheriff’s Department in December. The department serves the college town of Laramie and the sweeping landscape that surrounds it in rural southeast Wyoming.
It’s a challenging time to take on this new job: There are two pending lawsuits against the department after a fatal shooting in 2018. And the country is still on edge after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota.
Appelhans says he’s got an eye on the trial of Derek Chauvin as jury selection starts this week. The sheriff told the Associated Press that he understands both sides of the conflict between Black Lives Matter protesters and law enforcement.
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The first Black sheriff in Wyoming takes over an agency that has faced significant controversy
By Emma Tucker, CNN
Albany County Sheriff Aaron Appelhans stands in the county courthouse in Laramie, Wyoming. (CNN)For the first time in its 130-year history, Wyoming has a Black sheriff. Aaron Appelhans, 39, has taken charge of the Albany County Sheriff s Office, which faces two pending lawsuits and calls for reform in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Robert Robbie Ramirez by a deputy in 2018. You don t see a whole lot of African Americans in law enforcement, Appelhans told CNN. So, I m trying to overcome that roadblock of taking a non-traditional career path and affect change within my community.