Wyoming’s first Black sheriff takes office in troubled times
Albany County Sheriff Aaron Appelhans stands in front of the courthouse in Laramie on Dec. 21, 2020. Appelhans is the first Black sheriff in the state of Wyoming. (Joel Funk/WyoFile)
Albany County Sheriff Aaron Appelhans still has some work to do before his office is set up. The walls are mostly empty as stacks of framed pictures sit on shelves and the floor, paperwork piled high obscures the desktop. Behind it all sits the new sheriff, making sense of the opportunity he’s seized.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind for the first week,” Appelhans said with a laugh. “But it’s been overwhelmingly positive.”