Three face off in primary for Liberty County Sheriff: Nick Erickson

Incumbent Nick Erickson is running to keep his position as Liberty County Sheriff in this year's Republican Primary, running against two former deputies in Darbie Wentworth and Jim Hofer.

Erickson said he's a lifetime resident of Liberty County, having grown up in Chester, farming for 15 years before attending the Montana Law Enforcement Academy, joining the sheriff's office three years ago and being appointed sheriff last year.

He said he always wanted to join the military when he was young, but wanted to stay in the community and when he met the woman who would become his wife, military service become something he couldn't do.

He said he knows some veterans who went into police work after their service and in talking to them he became even more interested in law enforcement, wanting to serve the area he grew up in.

"I always felt an obligation for civil service," he said.

Erickson said he's the best person for the job.

"There's no one more dedicated," he said. " ... I believe the sheriff should set the bar for everybody in the office."

In a questionnaire sent to all three candidates by Montana State University Liberty County Extension Erickson said he believes he's made many improvements to the department in his time there and he wants to continue that.

He said the biggest issues he sees in the community are substance abuse and mental illness, with the majority of the department's calls related to one of these issues.

Erickson said the department has been reaching out to local schools to try to educate people about the dangers of substance use as early in their lives as possible.

Looking back on his time as sheriff, he said, the thing he's most proud of is the community he's had the privilege to serve.

"It's all the officers I get to work with, the undersheriff, all my deputies, all my dispatchers, everyone in this community," he said.

In the Extension questionnaire Erickson said his vision for the department is one of constant improvement, setting goals as an organization and as individual officers and meeting them.

He said the most important elements of police work are being unbiased, honest, proactive and being all of these things consistently.

While Erickson said he has no comments on either of his opponents and doesn't believe in negative campaigning he did respond to a number of criticism they made against him and the department under his leadership.

He said he disagrees with the criticism that his department hasn't made efforts to connect with the community, and he believes it is doing just that, but there are always going to be people who are unhappy with them.

"Someone is always upset," he said. " ... You hold somebody accountable in a small town, you know everybody. You have to arrest people you've known your entire life, guess what, they are not happy about it."

As for the statement made by Hofer calling his dismissal from the department a "witch hunt" Erickson said the process for firing county employees is an involved one that includes the Montana Association of Counties and the Montana Department of Labor as well as numerous chances for appeal and an investigation, and Hofer's dismissal was legitimate.

He also said, in response to Hofer saying the department is spending too much, that the vast majority of the technological upgrades being made at the department are done through grants, not taxpayer money.

These upgrades, including new computers and crime reporting systems Erickson touted as very valuable to the department, bringing them in compliance with standards set by the state and opening up even more opportunities for grant funding to make the department better.

He also responded to Wentworth saying she saw instances of people being pressured into filing charges when it's clear they don't want to, calling the allegation "ridiculous."

Erickson said he wouldn't comment on a statement by Wentworth saying she was dismissed from the department because she was asked to fill out a report in a way she felt was inaccurate.