CASPER, Wyo. -- Natrona County Sheriff John Harlin has announced his candidacy to keep his position in this year's election. Harlin made the announcement Thursday while speaking as the featured guest of the Kiwanis Club.
"It's really been the honor of my life," Harlin said of his time as sheriff since a mid-term appointment in 2021 and election in 2022. Harlin said he started as jailhouse deputy in 1997, and that it was during his time as the head of Search and Rescue that he realized he had a feeling for leadership.
Unlike most other law enforcement officials, an elected sheriff is more directly accountable to the people, Harlin said.
"As citizens, that's something we should never get up," Harlin said.
One of the roles laid out for the sheriff in state statute is the administration of the jail, a job Harlin says he takes very seriously.
"The importance of having an elected official that is directly accountable to the people that runs that jail and is entrusted with the custody of those people is really important," Harlin said.
The Natrona County Detention Center is the largest in the state. It can hold up to 476, but the average population is about 265, Harlin said. Harlin said he feels responsible for ensuring that every inmate's mental, physical and due process rights are preserved.
"One of the most important pieces is protecting the constitutional rights of people pre-trial, because we are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law, and that is a complex process," Harlin said. "It really is that important, because anyone can have a bad day and end up in jail and you need to make sure that all those protections are in place."
In addition to law enforcement, the NCSO runs Natrona County Emergency Management, Search and Rescue, and ensures that people get the subpoenas, summons, and other civil documents issued by the courts. The NCSO served 8,244 court papers last year, Harlin said.
The NCSO also has an investigator dedicated to the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Harlin said there was a 54% increase in cyber tips for suspected child sexual abuse content originating in Natrona County in 2025 compared to the year before. The 1,714 cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children resulted in 370 investigative actions, 43 arrests, and the identification of 24 child victims, Harlin said.
Harlin noted the spike in high-profile violent crimes committed by juveniles in the last couple years. He remarked that gang affiliation used to be a localized phenomenon: now, gang life becomes the dubious aspiration of young people who see it modeled on social media.
Harlin said he is focused on continually refining of the office of sheriff so that it will endure after he retires. He stressed that he sees it as a service, and encourages deputies to treat the public with the care that they would treat himself or one his own family members in the course of duty.