2026 carver County Sheriff Candidate

“Good leadership means taking care of the people who work for you and building a team. It is having a “let us” go do it instead of saying “you go” do this. Employees will feel valued, seen and heard. It means listening, having an open door, recognizing good work and developing future leaders. It means setting a standard for yourself and holding yourself and your employees to that standard. “

— Jessica Heger —

Name: Jessica Heger
Website: https://www.jessicahegerforsheriff.com/
Email address: hegerforsheriff@gmail.com
City of residence: Victoria

Professional and volunteer background: 

I am a special agent with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state’s top law enforcement agency, where I have stood up two statewide programs and am on the Crime Scene Team. Prior, I was a police officer for the City of Hopkins where I worked patrol, investigations and stood up the department’s first ever School Resource Officer program which encompassed six diverse schools. I started my law enforcement career as a 911 dispatcher. I am a member of the Victoria Lions and Carver County Pheasants Forever. I have previously been a Big Sister.

What makes you the best candidate in this race: 

My experience as a 911 dispatcher, a patrol officer, an investigator and for the state’s top law enforcement agency has prepared me for this. I have built statewide programs and a school resource officer program from the ground up — this is organizational leadership. I have worked with stakeholders from across the state and country regarding these programs. I have led hundreds of community outreach events, built relationships with residents and became a trust law enforcement contact for many. I am ready to lead with integrity and transparency.

What would be your top 3 priorities if elected as Carver County Sheriff: 

1) Recruitment and retention — This will be a place where employees want to build a career, not just start one. Change is needed. The current negative culture can’t continue; we lose too many deputies to other agencies. 

2) Mental Health — Employees will be given the tools needed to properly do the job while also expanding the way we respond. In addition, services for employees will be expanded as well. 

3) Community Outreach — Employees and I will host events and show up at your events so that you get to know us. We will expand outreach into the schools, churches and businesses as well.

Department culture appears to be a concern among some deputies. What if anything needs to be done to address that issue:

71% of the current patrol deputies (as of 6/23/26 roster) have less than five years with the Sheriff’s Office. This speaks to the amount of turnover and not much depth in senior officers to train new employees. We can’t continue to continuously operate short staffed. In speaking with deputies who have left, they don’t cite pay, types of calls or the community, they cite the culture within the organization. Dispatch tends to not be able to maintain staffing, this needs to be addressed. A new, outside administration is what is needed to positively change the culture.

What does good leadership within the Carver County Sheriff’s Department look like to you: 

Good leadership means taking care of the people who work for you and building a team. It is having a “let us” go do it instead of saying “you go” do this. Employees will feel valued, seen and heard. It means listening, having an open door, recognizing good work and developing future leaders. It means setting a standard for yourself and holding yourself and your employees to that standard. It means making hard decisions, even when/if they aren’t popular. It also means being in the community and building relationships, not sitting behind a desk.

What if any programs would you target for augmentation or elimination if elected to this role: 

I will ensure a more robust mental health response, helping to keep the public and deputies safer. I would extensively expand community outreach efforts. We will grow the partnership with our schools, having deputies show up to read a book, eat lunch, play at recess, teach classes on different law enforcement topics and walk the halls between classes. I will talk with employees and find out what is working well, what’s not working and how they would change things. 

How would you seek to address employee retention if elected: 

We will build a team no matter the rank, job position or title. I will be out on patrol, taking calls, meeting the community, making traffic stops. etc. Law enforcement wants leaders who are still willing to do the job. By improving the culture, employees will want to stay and will recruit people to work in Carver County. This will be a place where employees can talk about concerns, bring forward ideas and not be fearful of retaliation or retribution. I have officers from other agencies who want to work here if the administration changes. I will create a robust employee wellness program focusing on mental, physical and financial well being.