South Dakota Sheriffs, Cattle Producers, Brand Officials Find Common Ground at Deadwood Conference 
Maria Tibbets for Tri-State Livestock News

If you’re short some cattle, call your county sheriff.

That was one of the primary messages law enforcement and brand investigators wanted producers to take home from a collaborative meeting last week in Deadwood, S.D. 

Producers, county sheriffs, cattle producer organizations and brand investigators and inspectors gathered in Deadwood Tuesday, April 15 during the 2025 Police Chiefs’ and Sheriffs’ Conference. 

The goal of the meeting was to provide some open conversation for all interested parties to get on the same page about how to most effectively address cattle theft in South Dakota.

Long-time Butte County sheriff Fred Lamphere helped organize the meeting because he feels like there’s a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation floating around about the roles of county sheriffs, brand inspectors and brand investigators, as well as a workforce in law enforcement that may not be as familiar with agriculture and livestock laws and culture.  

“We’ve had a lot of turnover in all agencies, the brand inspection and sheriff’s office. We’ve got a whole new crew,” Lamphere said. “There’s a lot of authority that’s allowed to law enforcement that pertains to livestock. We can do better work for the people we serve if we all work together.”

For many attendees, the roundtable served to build trust and identify practical steps forward. “It kind of opened the lines of communication a little between the sheriffs and the brand board with the brand investigators,” said Raydelle Sperle, chairman of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Brand Committee. “There were sheriffs with a lot of questions. I think that’s wonderful. I think that’s a step in the right direction for doing something bigger in the state of South Dakota.”

Missing Livestock Reporting Process

One topic of conversation was standardization and clarity in how theft or suspicious losses are reported and investigated. “At the onset that they feel something is missing, call the local sheriff’s office,” Lamphere said. “We’re not telling them to not call the brand investigator—but at least let us know simultaneously.”

The sheriff’s staff knows the area, the people and has been trained to investigate crimes. Lamphere stresses that even if a producer isn’t positive a crime has been committed, it doesn’t hurt to call the sheriff’s office and let them know what’s going on. The sheriff’s office might have heard or seen something that could be relevant, and at least can provide another point of view and an objective, trained perspective. And if it turns out the missing livestock just holed up in the one spot the owner didn’t look, he thinks that’s great.

“We’re happy when we get a follow-up call that someone found them,” Lamphere said. “We’re never going to roll our eyes and say, ‘look a little harder next time.’ We want producers to feel confident that they can make that phone call and get another set of eyes on it.”

The meeting communicated that to the producer organizations, and helped build a network that sheriffs, brand investigators and producers can use when necessary. Sperle said several East River sheriffs had questions for him after the meeting and he’s happy to have those conversations.   

Taya Runyan, executive director of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association said, “It was important to have everybody in the same room at the same time. Having a consistent, clear message for everyone to share with their respective members about who to contact and how to handle loss or theft is critical. One of the things we often hear is ‘I didn’t know what to do or who to contact.'” Runyan said SDCA is working to educate members and make sure they get those answers and have access to resources if they need to reach out to the Brand Board or local law enforcement. 

For Joel Olivier, District 3 brand supervisor, the meeting also helped address misconceptions about the inspection program. “We’ve got investigators on the job,” he said. “But statewide there are only three of them, and they don’t have unlimited power and jurisdiction. They’ve got to go through the channels. When they do work a case up, it has to go through the state’s attorney. If the state’s attorney doesn’t think it’s a prosecutable case, they’ve got to let it go.” 

He understands that’s frustrating, but he’s hoping with collaboration between law enforcement, brand investigators and producers it will more often end with a satisfactory outcome for everyone except the guilty party. 

Always Room for Improvement

While the overall sentiment following the meeting was positive, everyone sees places to improve. Olivier pointed out the ongoing shortage of brand inspectors. Lamphere noted rural law enforcement sees more turnover than it used to, so building relationships, locally and statewide, is more of a challenge. Jurisdiction on reservations can add confusion, and the East River/West River geographic, law and cultural differences can be counterproductive. 

“There’s always room for improvement,” said Runyan. “But overall, it’s a good working relationship. Cooperation and communication—that’s how we’re going to accomplish our goals and best serve producers.”

Despite the staffing limitations and jurisdictional challenges, all parties involved saw the meeting as a necessary and encouraging start. “There’s a lot of vulnerability to ranchers in light of this market being so high,” said Lamphere. “It’s a great opportunity to work with producers and let them know what to do in response.” 

Olivier said he hopes the brand board will be able to provide ongoing training for law enforcement, including what proof of ownership paperwork livestock transporters need to have with them, and how to identify suspicious situations. 

Looking ahead, attendees are planning for follow-up sessions with a tighter focus on training and operational collaboration. Sperle said, “They want to have some quarterly meetings and turn them into semiannual meetings. I would try to attend every one of them.”

Ultimately, the goal of every person in the room was the same—to protect producers’ hard-earned value in the cattle market and to see justice done when that value is unlawfully taken.