On Friday, Rock County’s current sheriff, Troy Knudson, announced he will not seek reelection, according to multiple reports. Knudson has been with the department for 33 years and has served as sheriff since 2019.
“It has been an incredible honor and privilege to have been able to work at the Rock County Sheriff’s Office for the past thirty-three years. This has been a wonderful and meaningful career that I have truly enjoyed,” Kundson said, according to XTREME 107.1. “The opportunity to serve as sheriff since 2019 was certainly a highlight of that career and I cannot fully express the humble and profound appreciation that I have for the citizens of Rock County who elected me to that position.”
“I believe that it is important to make my intentions known early in the process to ensure that the community has sufficient time to thoroughly evaluate potential successors for the office,” Sheriff Knudson said in a news release cited by ABC27.
Hours after Knudson made his announcement, Curtis Fell announced he will seek the Democratic nomination for the seat. In a news release cited by XTREME 107.1, Fell touted his leadership experience and nearly three decades of work with the sheriff’s office, saying he would focus on increased community involvement and transparency. Fell’s father formerly served as the chief of the Beloit Police Department.
According to The Gazette, Knudson said he’d tell anyone who wants to be sheriff that his golden rule is to appreciate every officer and staff who work for sheriff’s commanders.
“Always appreciate the people who work for them,” Knudson said, according to the outlet. “The role of the sheriff puts a person in the public eye, and they are often given the credit for the successes of the agency. But we should never forget that it is often the person who works the terrible hours in the worst of circumstances who did an outstanding job who truly deserves that praise.”
Voters will choose Knudson’s successor on November 8, 2022.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Troy Knudson” by Troy Knudson for Sheriff.
