Frerichs Takes Office as Sheriff

Thursday morning, Adam Frerichs became the new Cheyenne County Sheriff after swearing to his oath of office.

Frerichs ran an uncontested race for sheriff. Sheriff John Jensen chose not to seek office. Frerichs said the transition is going well with the support of Jensen.

“He has really bent over backwards to ensure success” of the transition, Frerichs said.

He is entering office with the philosophy of balance, He believes his job is of ensuring laws are followed while still respecting residents.

“ My philosophy has always been to be firm, friendly and fair.  We have a job to do and laws that need to be enforced, but we can do it in a manner that is respectful to everyone involved,” he said.

He sees the office as sheriff as that of an elected official.

“We serve at the leisure of the citizens of Cheyenne County,” Frerichs said. “To me, we tend to hold ourselves to a higher standard because the citizens have the pleasure of electing another sheriff if we are not doing our job or are not doing it well,” he said.

Some of the priorities Frerichs has are continuing from when John Jensen served as sheriff.

“Our office has always maintained a high standard of service for our citizens and I plan to continue that standard,” Frerichs said.

He added marijuana will continue to be an issue in the county

“It appears that the marijuana lobbyists have now joined the fight for medical marijuana in Nebraska and I believe that is a road that we Nebraskans just don’t want to venture down. The states that now have legalized marijuana are finding that they have opened a Pandora’s Box,” he said.

Frerich doesn’t expect any radical changes with his taking the lead. He did say there will be some subtle changes, “but nothing earth shattering.”

“I am sure that changes will come as we are in a profession that requires changed to keep up with the times,” he said.

Some of the changes came with his candidacy and resulting election. Frerichs comes from Lead Detective to sheriff. The department has hired Jim Bush, an experienced officer from the Sidney Police Department to fill Frerichs’ former position. Bush comes to the sheriff's department with experience in the police department, sheriff's department and as part of the WING task force. Also new to the sheriff’s department is Dalton resident Josh Deines. Deines applied for the open deputy position and was accepted. He has a year to become Nebraska Law Enforcement certified.