About Me
My name is Clarence LaCroix. I am currently a Clearwater County Deputy Sheriff, and I am proud to announce my candidacy for the Office of Clearwater County Sheriff.
The current Clearwater County Sheriff, Darin Halverson approached me about running for the Office of Sheriff after he announced he was not seeking reelection. I have privately considered running for Sheriff for well over a decade but never seriously considered it until Sheriff Halverson encouraged me to run for the position. After soul searching, prayer, and some long discussions with my family, I proudly announce with conviction my intention to seek the Office of Clearwater County Sheriff.
I grew up with a strong tradition and sense of service and duty. With my father having a full-time career in the Army, I was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was raised on Army bases around the world. When my father retired from the Army, our family moved back to my mother and father’s hometown of Bemidji, Minnesota. I finished high school at Bemidji.
My wife Katie and I have been married for twenty-one years, and we are happy to have settled and raised a family here in Clearwater County. We have four wonderful children. Emma is our oldest and is an amazingly special person. Kensey is in her second year at Norwich University, a military college in Vermont, where she is on the rugby team. Noah is a junior at Bagley High School where he participates in the Trap Club and theater. Finally, Jack is a freshman at Bagley High School where he participates in football, wrestling, and baseball.
While I have dedicated the last fifteen years to serving you and Clearwater County in law enforcement, what truly separates me is that I have not been in law enforcement my whole adult life. I have worked in construction, installing and replacing hot tar and rubber roofing. I also worked in sales for a large national company in the early 2000’s where I oversaw a 2.4-million-dollar budget. In this time, I also joined the Army National Guard and was subsequently deployed to active duty overseas. This is where I first experienced true service to local communities. This is when I learned that community policing is what I was meant to do with my life. When I returned home from serving in the military overseas, I worked as a Mental Health Rehab Worker, in a facility for adults with mental illness and chemical dependencies while attending Leech Lake Tribal College. My earlier occupations outside of law enforcement greatly assisted my ability to relate to and communicate with people from all walks of life and have a great relationship with the people I serve here as a deputy and hopefully in the future as your Sheriff. After attaining my degree from Leech Lake Tribal College, I attended Bemidji State University until I was hired by the Bagley Police Department and began my career in law enforcement. I also joined the Bagley Fire Department and was in the department for nine years. Finally, I have been on the Copley Township Board since 2011 and continue to serve in that capacity.
As far as my local law enforcement experience, I have served in several positions right here in Clearwater County. I began my law enforcement career as a Patrol Officer in the Bagley Police Department in 2010 where I was hired by then Police Chief Darin Halverson. In 2012 I was hired by Sheriff Mike Erickson also began to serve as parttime Deputy here in the county. After achieving the rank of Sergeant, I applied for the job of Jail Administrator with the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office. I served as the Jail Administrator and PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point, 911) Manager until 2021. In 2021 I applied for and was assigned as the vulnerable adult and child protection Investigator. I have worked the last couple of years as the Bagley School Resource Officer. As a school SRO, I have the privilege of teaching D.A.R.E. at the Bagley Elementary School and will soon be instructing Bagley Schools staff in an active shooter response training program called A.L.I.C.E. to proactively bring greater safety to our students and school staff, more peace of mind to our parents, and a higher degree of security to school buildings. I enjoy building a bridge between the youth and the Sheriff’s Office through these programs and experiences.
As a Deputy Sheriff, these different positions that I have served within our county’s law enforcement system have helped me to have considerable working knowledge and experience of the roles and responsibilities of our county’s law enforcement system, and I feel I could seamlessly transition into the role of sheriff if elected. My time as a law enforcement officer within this community has also helped me to understand the crucial collaborative working relationships our Sheriff’s Office has established and maintains with both Bagley’s and Clearbrook’s city police, our state law enforcement agencies as well as with the White Earth Police Department.
In my years of service, I have undergone numerous training exercises and received many certifications. The more relevant are the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Corrections Certification for Jail Administration, the Corner House Certification for Forensic Interviewing, the John E. Reid and Associates Certification for Investigative Interviewing and Interrogation, the Operation SNOW drug interdiction training, School Resource Officer training, D.A.R.E. instructor certification, A.L.I.C.E. active shooter instructor certification, and True North Constitutional Policing training. I strive to keep up to date with the latest public safety and law enforcement procedures and strategies, and with ever changing state and federal laws, I take my responsibility and duty to maintain my certifications and training current and updated very seriously.
I respectfully believe my professional law enforcement experience, my prior dedicated service to both our Nation and our community, my steadfast character, as well as my life experiences have prepared me to serve as your sheriff. If elected, I promise to strive to exemplify the qualities of service, respect and integrity.
I welcome the opportunity to visit with anyone or any organization about my candidacy for Sheriff, and respectfully ask for your vote this fall.
Sincerely,
Clarence LaCroix