Rapid City State Senator Helene Duhamel was featured in a recent article by the National Council of State Legislatures regarding her position at the Pennington County Sheriff’s office, and her work in law enforcement:
Law enforcement, corrections officers and people in related public safety professions make up just under 4% of the 7,575 lawmakers nationwide. An analysis of lawmakers serving during 2024 legislative sessions revealed there were 287 members with experience in some kind of public safety role.
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NCSL also included people in non-sworn law enforcement roles in this survey. South Dakota Sen. Helene Duhamel (R) serves as majority whip and chair of the Senate Judiciary committee when the legislature is in session, but the rest of the year she works as the public information officer for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
“Working in law enforcement gives me a unique perspective and informed voice on tackling public safety issues in the South Dakota legislature,” said Duhamel. “So often lawmakers come up with legislation that causes more harm than good or has a whole host of unintended consequences.
“At the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, I sit at the table as we struggle with crime, victimization, addiction, jail crowding, recidivism, homelessness, mental health crises and more. My unique perspective and access to law enforcement agencies help with creative, nontraditional approaches to community safety.”