Olmsted County sheriff to retire, will step down in 2027 after 12 years in office
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Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, whose jurisdiction includes Rochester and the surrounding area in southeastern Minnesota, has announced his retirement after more than four decades in law enforcement.
Torgerson, who lives in Stewartville, will not seek a fourth term in the 2026 election and will formally step down from his office in January 2027. He began his law enforcement career in 1980 with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, but has worked in Olmsted County since 1986. He was first elected sheriff in 2014, and took office in January of 2015.
Torgerson, 67, said he felt like this is the right time to retire, but he also said he’s going to miss many aspects of the work. He says he entered law enforcement because he wanted to help people.
“I've always been proud to be able to say that I can go in and help people see the light in the end of a very dark tunnel that they might be in in that moment,” Torgerson said in an interview with MPR News.
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Before Torgerson became sheriff, he served in many roles in Olmsted County, including with the patrol division and the emergency response unit, according to a county press release. He became Olmsted County’s first School Liaison Offer, teaching D.A.R.E, a drug awareness program, to local students. Over the years, he advanced into supervisory positions, becoming a sergeant and then a captain, before overseeing Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the sheriff’s office in 2009.
Torgerson told MPR News that one of his proudest accomplishments as sheriff is the progress he’s made bolstering resources for his team to help them build resiliency and stay well.
Policing can be a physically and mentally demanding job. Torgerson explained that every member of his staff, including clerical staff, have regular mandatory check-ins to help them work through trauma and stress, even if it’s secondary. He’s made peer counselors available, as well as chaplains. And the county now partners with a local physical training team that comes in to help deputies recover from injuries – whether the injury occurred on or off duty.
“When I talk to new people that just got started with our office, I always tell them that we're going to do what we can to help them be physically, mentally and spiritually able to keep this a great career and stay here for a long time,” Torgerson said.
He said he’s also enjoyed the opportunities in his career to work directly with his community – through events like the Special Olympics, polar plunges, and working with a statewide memorial association to honor fallen officers in Minnesota.
“I love every bit of what I do,” Torgerson said. “Just engaging with the wonderful people in law enforcement and our communities has been something that's kept me in it for quite a long time.”
Candidates for the 2026 sheriff election must announce their candidacy by late spring, Torgerson says. Olmsted County Sheriff’s Capt. Tim Parkin has announced he will run to succeed Torgerson. The election takes place in November.
