Lange received 3,572 voters in the August primary election. Chadderdon got 1,538 votes to reach the Nov. 8 election. Chad Honetschlager got 1,273 votes.

Lange has been Nicollet County Sheriff for 20 years and says his biggest challenges are dealing with people with drug and mental health issues, plus hiring enough dispatchers.

“I’d like to think things are going fairly well other than drugs including substances laced with fentanyl,” Lange said. “We continue to respond to people with mental health issues. We’re working with people the best we can, getting them the help they need. We have to find people a bed in a place where they can get help.”

Lange said it’s not uncommon to transport individuals with mental health issues to Anoka or as far north as Fargo, North Dakota

“There is lots of focus on drug overdoses. We like to keep our finger on the pulse of it,” said Lange. “I have a deputy solely dedicated to the drug task force. We have to continue to work on people pushing those things.”

Lange said his patrol division is adequately staffed, but he’s struggling to fill dispatch positions, which he said is also an issue in surrounding counties.

“It’s going to be recruitment, trying to get younger people interested in law enforcement. I hear at colleges that there is less student interest in it,” said Lange.

“I feel it’s been a good run for the time I’ve been here. I want to continue to make communities safe, be proactive and handle complex calls to keep the environment safe,” Lange added.

He said inflation is another issue.

“Twenty years ago, I could replace a squad car for under $20,000. Now, it’s $48,000,” said Lange. ” We have to budget appropriately and respond to calls.”

Lange said he enjoys working with people and businesses, answering their questions and needs.

“It’s satisfying helping them resolve their problems,” said Lange. “I feel Nicollet County is pretty safe overall and I want to keep it that way.”

“I enjoy working county fairs, seeing kids in 4-H, putting on school presentations and working with kids, teachers and administrators,” he added. “I look forward to serving another sheriff’s term and continuing to provide the best service I can.”

A lifetime Nicollet County resident, Lange is a board member on the River Valley Tactical Response Team, Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force, and Brown County Evaluation Center. In addition, he has been a Nicollet Lions Club member for 19 years, DNR youth firearms safety instructor and a Special Olympics Polar Plunge organizer for 16 years.

In 2004, he graduated from the National Sheriff Institute, an executive leadership program for first-term sheriffs.

Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office investigator Marc Chadderdon, who has worked for the organization for 28 years, said it’s time for a change.

“There are vast differences between Dave and I. We’ve both been in law enforcement for a long time,” said Chadderdon. “Crime is not going down. Drugs are getting worse. If we continue the same way, they will continue to get worse.”

“I’d like to see community outreach. We do nothing with Gustavus Adolphus (College) and South Central College, like building bridges and offering services,” Chadderdon said. “It would help in trying to find dispatchers and jail staff. We do zero outreach to the Somali population. St. Peter Police do a great job with it.”

Chadderdon said he founded a nonprofit organization, the Minnesota South Central Investigator Coalition, to train cops and build community relationships, fund Toys for Tots, Shop With a Hero and programs that pair youth with law enforcement.

“We told kids they could buy toys, but they bought school supplies, pajamas and underwear,” Chadderdon said. “We’ve got almost $80,000 in the bank from hosting conferences. It’s a great organization that will go on long after I retire.”

Chadderon said crime has become more frequent and violent.

“Drug overdoses are a common occurrence. It is time to implement new ideas to combat these problems,” he added. “What we are currently doing is obviously not working. We need to be proactive, not reactive.”

Chadderdon said he is concerned about spending too.

“Nicollet County’s population grew by about 4,000 people the past 20 years, but the Sheriff’s Office budget doubled to more than $5 million. This is unacceptable, especially with very few people being held in jail,” said Chadderdon.

“I’m looking at common sense spending. Using COVID money, we bought a $40,000 camper said to be used as a mobile shot clinic, but it was only used at the fair as a mobile sheriff’s office,” Chadderdon said.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).