Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs Announces Bid For Second Term

Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs announced Friday that he will run for a second term as the county’s elected sheriff. The announcement came as Riggs noted his more than 24 years of service to the county and three years in the elected sheriff’s office, and emphasized ongoing efforts to strengthen relationships, increase transparency and boost community engagement within the department.

Riggs was first elected sheriff in 2022 after 18 years with the department and his current four-year term runs through 2026. With the November 3, 2026 general election on the calendar, Riggs’s declaration makes him the only declared candidate for sheriff as of the announcement, providing him an early position as a potential front-runner in the race.

The declaration foregrounds continuity in leadership at a time when many communities are recalibrating public safety strategies and expectations for police-community relations. Riggs’s emphasis on transparency and engagement aligns with county residents’ interest in visible accountability and regular communication from law enforcement. For residents, that can mean more opportunities for public meetings, clearer reporting on department activities and continued outreach to neighborhoods across Beltrami County.

A second term would allow Riggs to pursue multi-year initiatives without the interruption of a leadership transition. That continuity can affect staffing decisions, training priorities and interagency coordination with neighboring counties and state partners. It may also influence the department’s approach to budget planning and grant seeking, since longer leadership horizons can make multi-year projects easier to manage.

The timeline for the race remains broad. With the election more than ten months away, prospective challengers still have time to declare candidacies and begin campaigning. County voters can expect the sheriff’s office to remain active in local public safety planning while the campaign season develops.

For now, Riggs’s announcement is likely to prompt discussion across Beltrami County about the direction of local law enforcement, priorities for community engagement, and how the sheriff’s office plans to measure and report progress. Residents interested in public safety policy and the upcoming election will have opportunities to evaluate candidates and proposed approaches in the months ahead.