Squad in road blocking traffic as train crosses
Serve and Protect

Sheriff's Office

Our Mission

To provide quality services that promote and protect the well-being, safety and security of all people in our community.

Our Vision

Creating a Safer Community Together

The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office is committed to being an organization that we and our citizens are proud of. Our organization is one in which every customer, either internal or external, is treated as we would want one of our family members to be treated. We are an organization where all employees, regardless of rank or title, have the opportunity to contribute and grow. We are an organization where an employee can advance based upon their merits in addition to receiving recognition for their accomplishments.

Related Values

To accomplish our mission, we will:

  • Respect the integrity and dignity of all individuals.
  • Demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity and a commitment to excellence.
  • Be proactive and innovative problem solvers.
  • Encourage our staff to volunteer in our community and seek volunteers to work with us.
  • Commit to open communications and partnerships with the members of our community.
  • Endeavor to provide fiscally responsible public safety services.
  • Attract, develop, motivate, and empower people who demonstrate professional competence, conduct, and courage.
  • Build and enhance relationships with other law enforcement and community-based agencies and organizations.

Policy Manual

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Sheriff's Office History

On February 20, 1855, the Minnesota Territorial Legislature created Olmsted County. In 1858 the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners established the county seat at Rochester. The first recorded Olmsted County Sheriff in 1855 was R.H. McReady. The first records of the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office date back to 1881, with jail records being found as far back as 1858. Sheriffs worked by themselves for a number of years with the first Deputy L.O. Benjamin, being appointed in 1874.

Sheriffs of Olmsted County

  • R.H. McReady - 1855 - 1856
  • Philo S. Curtis - 1856 - 1857
  • G.W. Baker - 1858 - 1861
  • Horace Loomis - 1861 - 1863
  • George Gray - 1864 - 1865
  • Horace Loomis - 1865 - 1866
  • Thomas Harrington - 1867 - 1867
  • William Brown - 1867 - 1870
  • James A. Ellison – 1871 - 1873
  • L.O. Benjamin - 1874 - 1876
  • J.C. Mulholland - 1876 - 1877
  • W.H. White - 1877 - 1880
  • Henry M. Richardson - 1880-1892
  • Charles N. Stewart - 1892 - 1894
  • William H. Mitchell - 1894 - 1898
  • E.H. Vine - 1898 - 1908
  • William H. Mitchell - 1908 - 1921
  • Samuel J. Hauch - 1921 - 1930
  • G.R. Gelatt - 1930 - 1931
  • George R. Gelatt - 1931 - 1948
  • Gerald Cunningham - 1948-1971
  • Charles R. VonWald - 1971-1990
  • Stanley D. Anderson - 1990-1991
  • Steven C. Borchardt - 1991- 2008
  • Steven C. VonWald - 2008 - 2011
  • David E. Mueller - 2011 - 2015
  • Kevin E. Torgerson - 2015 - Present

Remembering Mark Anderson

Memorial Graphic for Detention Deputy Mark Anderson

Detention Deputy Mark Edward Anderson

End of Watch: Thursday, April 15, 2021

Biographical Info

Age: 52

Tour of Duty: 11 years

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Heart Attack

Date of Incident: Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Detention Deputy Mark Anderson suffered a fatal heart attack after interacting with a belligerent inmate in the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center.

Deputy Anderson was working alone managing gym-use time for inmates when one of the inmates became extremely upset, prompting Deputy Anderson to call for emergency response from other deputies. Additional deputies responded and they escorted the inmate back to his unit.

Deputy Anderson was preparing for a subsequent shift when he collapsed in the locker room.

Deputy Anderson had served with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office for 11 years. He is survived by his daughter and brother, as well as his significant other and her son.

Remembering Jack Werner

Memorial Graphic for Deputy Mark Anderson

Deputy Sheriff Jack Dean Werner

End of Watch: Tuesday, May 17, 1977

Biographical Info

Age: 33

Tour of Duty: 5 years

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire

Date of Incident: Tuesday, May 17, 1977

Weapon Used: Shotgun

Suspect Info: Apprehended

Deputy Werner was shot and killed when he attempted to stop a suspect who was driving wildly in a deserted mall parking lot. The suspect opened fire on Deputy Werner with a shotgun, striking him in the chest. The suspect then fled in Deputy Werner's patrol car. The suspect was apprehended four hours later.

Deputy Werner had been with the agency for five years and was survived by his wife and two daughters.