Largest in 20 Years: St. Louis County Swears In Deputies, Correctional Officers

Sheriff Gordon Ramsay welcomed what he called the largest group of deputies sworn in at one time in 20 years during a badge‑pinning ceremony at the Public Safety Building in Duluth, where nine deputy sheriffs, nine correctional officers and the department’s newest K‑9, Ollie, were formally sworn to duty. “I don’t think there’s a greater calling, right, whether it’s, you know, 911, or law enforcement, or in corrections, being able to serve your community and keep your family and friends and neighbors safe,” Ramsay said at the event.

The ceremony, held in mid‑February 2026, pinned nine new deputy sheriffs who, WDIO reports, joined the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office in 2025: Peter Christiansen, Jordan Porter, Austin Wick, Kyle Cotrell, Dylan Helman, Michael Nordean, Bradley Wick, Matthew Woitel and Ethan Wolfe. Friends and family participated in the pinning, and Fox21 noted that several new deputies were pinned by relatives in the audience.

WDIO also published a roster of nine new correctional officers sworn in at the ceremony: Vincent Fourie, Nolan Wenner, Bobbie Hendricks, Jaaron Kamp, Autumn Khalar, Wayne Landasy, Seth Noll, Simone Pruette and Justine Reroma. Fox21 reported a different total for corrections staff, saying seven were sworn in, and a county notice distributed via GovDelivery contained an older template that listed eight deputies; those conflicting counts highlight discrepancies reporters recommended verifying with the Sheriff’s Office public information office.

Promotions and civilian hires were a major component of the program. WDIO identified recent sworn promotions recognized at the event: Kimberly Hanegmon to Deputy Sheriff - Lieutenant; Andrew Feiro and Zachary Peterson to Deputy Sheriff - Sergeant; and Kyle Chiaverini and Sean Clark to Deputy Sheriff - Investigator. The ceremony also highlighted administrative promotions: Emily Warnygora to Assistant Administrator - Emergency Support Services and Kayla Daugaard to Emergency Communications Center Supervisor, along with newly hired staff in 911 Emergency Communications, Radio Maintenance, Court Security and other support roles.

The department’s K‑9 program was on display when Ollie, who Northern News Now reports graduated from training in November and is trained in narcotics detection and other patrol functions, was sworn in. The addition of a certified narcotics detection K‑9 signals an operational emphasis on interdiction capabilities across the county’s patrol units.

Operationally, the new hires expand capacity across the Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdictional footprint, which includes unincorporated areas and several cities with regional offices in Duluth, Virginia and Hibbing and additional stations in Cook, Ely, Rice Lake and Mountain Iron. WDIO’s reporting that the deputy class joined in 2025 contrasts with a GovDelivery notice claiming deputies “started working for the County in April” and recently completed initial field training; those timing differences underscore the need for an official staffing timeline from the Sheriff’s Office to assess when patrol and corrections staffing increases will affect service levels.

The swearing‑in closes a recruitment and onboarding chapter for St. Louis County law enforcement and corrections and positions the office to distribute staff across its regional stations. Sheriff Ramsay framed the event as a renewal of public service commitments; the department says the newest members are ready to begin the next chapter of service.