Ryan L. Cook
Ryan L. Cook began his law-enforcement career in Lawrence County in 2004, joined the Pennington County Sheriff's Office in 2010, and rose to Sergeant — earning Pennington County's Law Enforcement Employee of the Month recognition in 2019 for de-escalating a 30-minute armed-and-suicidal-subject standoff to a peaceful surrender. He took over as Chief of Police of Gregory in July 2023, leading a small department he says exists “so much more than just enforcing the law” — including launching a “Letters to Santa” community-engagement program that drew participants from towns up to 25 miles away. He previously ran for Gregory County Sheriff in 2022 and is on the 2026 Republican primary ballot for the same office. He lives in Gregory.
Why they’re
Sensible
Cook brings nearly two decades of West River law-enforcement experience to Gregory County's rural communities — Lawrence County starting in 2004, Pennington County from 2010, and Gregory Chief of Police since July 2023. That trajectory gives him inside-the-machine knowledge of interagency cooperation, drug enforcement, and crisis response across some of South Dakota's busiest sheriff's offices. As Gregory's chief he has turned a three-officer department into a visible community presence: “Being out, being seen, being involved are all part of policing in a town.” His Pennington County tenure was distinguished by calm-under-pressure crisis negotiation — in 2019 his sheriff's office named him Employee of the Month for talking down an armed, suicidal subject with felony warrants over 30 minutes. That temperament fits the office Gregory County needs.
Key positions
“Being out, being seen, being involved are all part of policing in a town. We want people to feel comfortable reaching out to the police and see us as a part of the community.”
“The work we do here is so much more than just enforcing the law. It's about being involved and showing that we're part of the community.”
“This is about more than just getting letters to Santa. It's about letting kids see that we're approachable, that we care, and that we're here to support them.”
Also running for
Gregory Co. Sheriff
Every other candidate filed for this seat, listed for transparency. Our Sensible slate reflects the full field — not just a single pick.