The Potter County Sheriff's Office  is headquartered in the county seat of Gettysburg, South Dakota, approximately 50 miles northeast of the state capitol of Pierre.  The western edge of our county borders with the Oahe Reservoir (Missouri River) and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation (Dewey County). 

Our jurisdiction covers over 800 square miles with a population of around 3,500. Our department assists the municipal police officers in the cities of Hoven and Gettysburg, the park rangers at Whitlock state recreation areas, and we also are responsible for law enforcement services in other small towns that do not have their own officers, such as Tolstoy and Lebanon.

Sheriff Alan McClain has been with Potter County as a Deputy Sheriff for over nine years, and is a 30-year  law enforcement veteran.  He was appointed Sheriff to fill the vacancy left by Sheriff Miner early in 2006, and was elected Sheriff in November 2006 for a four-year term.

Spring and summer bring out-of-state walleye fishermen to the reservoir, and our riverside resorts and campgrounds swell with vacationers and summer residents.

The fall season brings pheasant and deer hunters from many states, as well as wheat, sunflower and corn harvesting crews.

We enjoy a relatively low crime rate and helpful citizens.

Gettysburg is also home to a State Trooper and a State Game & Fish Conservation Officer.

Information provided on this site is accurate as of the creation date of page and pertains to South Dakota Laws only.  Your home-state laws and procedures may differ.  Check with your own local police agencies for legislative changes to laws.

Site design by A.D.McClain © 2006 - all rights reserved.