Scott Steward

Park County Sheriff Scott Steward announced Wednesday that he will not seek a fifth full term as sheriff and instead run for a seat on the Park County Commission.

In a statement, Steward described it as a “very difficult decision” to leave law enforcement at the end of the year, noting more than three decades with the office that featured “a lot of ups and downs, joys and tragedies, successes and letdowns.”

“While I still enjoy serving as sheriff, we all reach that moment in our lives when we know it is time to step down and pass the baton on to younger, fresher leadership. And for me, that time has come,” he said in a release. “Advancing through the ranks in the Park County Sheriff’s Office, from dispatcher to sheriff brought me a great deal of wisdom and enlightenment. But there’s an acronym in law enforcement called R.O.D. (Retired on Duty) and I always reminded myself that I would never become that person as I got older.”

However, while Steward is ready to leave law enforcement, he said in an interview that he feels nowhere near ready to retire — and the rapid changes that have come to the county in recent years got him interested in running for the commission. Multiple subdivisions have sprung up in rural parts of the county as hundreds of new residents have moved into the area following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just think there’s so much that I can bring to the table when it comes to these issues that are going to be facing us here [and] are facing us here,” Steward said. While the sheriff’s department’s primary responsibility is to enforce laws, the Wapiti resident said much of the agency’s time is spent dealing with civil issues, such as disputes over easements, water rights and subdivisions.

“I think the biggest thing for me, too, is being born and raised here, I don’t want to see it change for the worse,” Steward said.

The Republican added that he is not a politician and has “been politically incorrect a lot” during his tenure as sheriff.

“I’ll never be a person that does things to get reelected. I’m going to do what I think is right, and what the people want,” he said.

Steward is the first person to publicly announce their candidacy for the commission in 2022. Commissioner Joe Tilden, who’s served on the board since 2011, mentioned at a recent meeting that he will not seek a fourth term. The seats held by Commissioners Dossie Overfield and Lloyd Thiel, who are in their first terms, are also up for election this year. Like Steward, all of the incumbent commissioners are Republicans.

Commissioners appointed Steward as sheriff in October 2005, following the resignation of then-Sheriff Dave Doyle; at the time, Steward was serving as undersheriff.

He went on to be elected by voters in 2006, 2010, 2014 and most recently in 2018, when he ran unopposed. The partisan position is typically held by a certified peace officer, but state law does not require the sheriff to hold such a certification.

The candidate ultimately chosen by voters will oversee more than 60 men and women spread across a patrol division, a dispatch center and a jail in Cody, plus Park County Search and Rescue and the county’s Homeland Security office; Steward expressed pride in his department’s professionalism in his release.

The 55-year-old also described law enforcement as a “young person’s game,” and said three decades of wearing a gun belt takes a toll on an officer. 

“Throughout my career I continually patrolled in uniform, ready to respond to support my law enforcement brethren when the need arose. I am very proud of that,” Steward said in Wednesday’s statement. “So, today I announce my retirement from law enforcement but not without sadness and reservation. I would not trade the past 31 years for anything.”

He thanked the people of Park County for their years of support and confidence. He’ll be asking for their support again in August, when he will face off with other Republican commission candidates in the primary election.

The filing period for sheriff, commissioner and other county offices opens May 12.

(Editor's note: This version corrects the years in which Steward was reelected.)