A local woman ran for county sheriff in Tuesday’s primary election. Has a female ever been the top cop in Idaho?

IDAHO FALLS – Eastern Idaho’s only female campaigner for sheriff this twelvemonth mislaid by a constrictive separator during Tuesday’s superior election.

Leah Madsen, a detective for nan Salmon Police Department and Lemhi County Commissioner, was 1 of 4 candidates moving for Lemhi County Sheriff. Deputy John Bennett became nan Republican nominee pinch 35% of nan ballot (997 full votes), but Madsen was a adjacent 2nd pinch 30% of nan ballot (861 full votes).

“I deliberation location were truthful galore of america running, it divided nan ballot and it conscionable happened to divided nan correct measurement for John,” Madsen tells EastIdahoNews.com.

Though nan predetermination is over, Madsen is still getting calls expressing support for her candidacy and she isn’t giving up yet. She’s looking to beryllium a write-in campaigner successful November.

“It’s clip for a female sheriff,” she says. “There’s ne'er been a female sheriff present … and it’s clip for that change. I person nan spot to do it and nan organization to backmost me.”

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The thought of Madsen perchance being nan first female to service arsenic sheriff successful Lemhi County sewage america wondering whether there’s ever been a female sheriff successful Idaho? Or if location are immoderate presently serving.

The Shoshone News-Press reports Holly Lindsey was appointed Shoshone County Sheriff successful 2022 erstwhile nan erstwhile sheriff, Mike Gunderson, retired. She served arsenic Gunderson’s undersheriff and has worked successful rule enforcement for galore years.

Lindsey, a Democrat, will look her Republican opponent, David Hildebrand, successful nan November election.

Idaho’s first female sheriff

Patti Bolen, who served arsenic Valley County’s sheriff for 18 years, was nan state’s first female sheriff, according to Valley County Sheriff’s Office HR Director Michael Savoie.

Bolen could not beryllium reached for comment, but Savoie tells EastIdahoNews.com Bolen was first elected successful 2005 and retired past year.

“She felt for illustration she’d been doing it agelong enough,” Savoie says.

Savoie isn’t judge why Bolen decided to tally initially, but she began her rule enforcement profession pinch Valley County arsenic a lawman successful 1974. She worked her measurement up nan ranks and was moving arsenic a detective earlier she ran for sheriff.

One of Bolen’s astir memorable cases arsenic sheriff happened successful August 2013. It progressive a fishy who kidnapped a 16-year-old woman from California. The Columbian reports James Lee DiMaggio, nan suspect, was yet located adjacent Morehead Lake astir 80 miles northbound of Boise and fatally changeable by FBI agents.

Authorities safely rescued nan woman and returned her to her family.

“Cascade (a metropolis successful Valley County) became nan investigative hub for that manhunt,” says Savoie. “Sheriff Bolen was heavy progressive successful regular conferences pinch FBI and different rule enforcement officials.”

A historical look astatine female sheriffs nationwide

The National Sheriffs Association says location are little than 60 female sheriffs presently serving crossed nan country. Historically, it’s a male-dominated position but galore women person served successful this domiciled complete nan past century.

Myrtle Siler became nan country’s first female sheriff successful 1920. The Department of Homeland Security reports nan 30-year-old female served nan group of Chatham County, North Carolina. She worked arsenic a lawman 8 years earlier that.

“Modest, unassuming and possessing each nan graces that adorn nan existent Southern female of culture, nan caller High Sheriff of Chatham stands arsenic a worthy illustration of nan female of nan caller day,” a section newspaper reported astatine nan time.

Myrtle Siler served arsenic nan nation’s first female sheriff aft moving arsenic a lawman sheriff for astir a decade. | Courtesy ICE

Florence Thompson was sworn successful arsenic nan Daviess County, Kentucky sheriff successful 1936. A judge asked her to temporarily capable nan domiciled aft her husband, who antecedently occupied nan position, died of pneumonia 2 years aft being elected. Though she had nary erstwhile rule enforcement experience, her husband’s decease near her pinch nary root of income for her family.

“She seldom wore a uniform, but would sometimes deterioration a badge connected her dress. She mostly did not execute arrests but would do truthful erstwhile nary 1 was available,” a historical article says.

Two months later, Thompson became nan first female sheriff to oversee a superior punishment. Rainey Bethea, who was convicted of raping a woman, would beryllium nan past man nationwide to beryllium publically executed and it fell connected Thompson to transportation it out.

“As news of nan hanging sewage around, she was bombarded pinch reporters,” nan study says. “Journalists nicknamed Thompson ‘The Hangwoman.'”

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Thompson opted not to execute nan execution, and offered nan occupation to different constabulary officer. She is reported to person fainted astatine nan guidelines of nan scaffold erstwhile nan hanging took place.

Voters later elected Thompson by a landslide to decorativeness retired her husband’s term. It was a three-way title and Thompson earned 9,811 votes. One competitor sewage 2 votes and nan different sewage one. She didn’t activity re-election but served arsenic a lawman nether nan adjacent sheriff for 9 years.

She remarried successful 1944 and died of Parkinson’s Disease successful 1961.

Florence Shoemaker Thompson was nan first female sheriff successful nan U.S. to oversee a superior punishment. | Courtesy Wikipedia

County sheriff hopefuls

Brittany Herrera is 1 of nan Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office 18 female deputies. She is simply a displacement supervisor astatine nan jailhouse and it’s her extremity to tally for sheriff 1 day.

With 2 parents and a grandfather who antecedently worked successful rule enforcement, Herrera says it’s a profession way that’s successful her blood. It’s thing she was fascinated by astatine a young property and she’s happy to transportation connected nan family tradition.

Male and female deputies spell done nan aforesaid training and Herrera appreciates nan professionalism of her antheral colleagues successful nan sheriff’s office, but she says women bring immoderate unsocial skills and qualities to nan constabulary force.

“Females connection bully solution skills. We’re really bully astatine negotiating and (de-escalating) a business without having to usage fierce force,” says Herrera.

Female deputies person a typical expertise to activity pinch women and children successful traumatic situations, she says, and tin connection “a much nurturing approach.”

“There’s a different position women bring to rule enforcement and to nan sheriff’s office,” she says. “You tin beryllium a woman and a mother and a constabulary officer. I’m grateful Bonneville County supports maine successful that.”

Madsen has a akin perspective.

She was hired arsenic a dispatcher for nan Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office successful 2000 and later became nan first patrol serviceman for nan Salmon Police Department successful 2007.

“Being capable to make a quality successful someone’s life erstwhile they’ve gone done thing horrible … is what God put maine present for. It’s what I’m expected to beryllium doing and I can’t springiness up connected that,” says Madsen.

As nan only female serviceman successful Lemhi County, Madsen has thing bad to opportunity astir nan mostly of her antheral colleagues but feels location are definite things women are amended astatine than men successful this capacity.

“I deliberation we’re much articulate astir things and … we’re connected successful a different measurement than our chap officers are,” Madsen explains.

Madsen feels her governmental opponents tried to smear her successful nan primary, which was capable to gain Bennett a victory.

She appreciates those who proceed to support her and she’s wished to springiness it different changeable successful nan future.

Courtesy Leah Madsen