Kansas Sheriff's Association
Kansas native Darrian Campbell joined the United States Marine Corps right out of high school, spending four years on active duty, taking him to Okinawa, Japan, Cuba, and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East.
He began his law enforcement career at the Reno County Sheriff Office in Feb of 1994.
After starting out in the jail for six months, he went to the Academy, into patrol deputy, and was promoted into serving many different positions over the years. During his law enforcement career, Darrian forged a parallel military career, continuing to serve in the Kansas National Guard.
Darrian was elected to complete the term of retiring sheriff Randy Henderson in October of 2019.
Settling into office, Sheriff Campbell worked with department leaders to recraft their mission statement to read: Our mission is to ensure the highest level of public safety while protecting the rights and dignity of those who serve, through community partnerships and unbiased enforcement of the law.
“Our vision is to strive to ensure the personal safety of every citizen by aligning our decisions, resources and community involvement with these values,” Campbell explains.
The commitment to better serve every citizen was particularly evident in Sheriff Campbell’s recent participation in an amateur boxing event organized to combat stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues.
Organized by Fight the Stigma Inc., a non-profit focused on raising awareness about mental health stigma, "Rumble in the Ring: We Are All Fighters" was held at Memorial Hall in Hutchinson, Kansas. The event featured several ‘box-a-buddy’ matches, 10 regular boxing matches, sumo wrestling and even a pillow fight, all for a meaningful cause—raising awareness and getting people the help they need.
Sheriff Campbell's involvement added an intriguing twist. It's not every day you see a sheriff lacing up the gloves!
“I hadn’t boxed before. I started training last November, and between my law enforcement career and my military commitment, it was a challenge to get it all scheduled in. But in 30 years of law enforcement, I’ve seen so many mental health concerns surface, people who need help, people who need advocates to stand by them to get them the help they need, we need to take this very seriously.”
“I’ve seen a lot of families break down over mental health struggles. And stigma—stigma is forming an ideation that says there is shame or guilt. We’ve got to rewrite that script; it is okay to ask for help, it’s a good thing to reach out for help, because help is out there. The Rumble in the Ring advertisements read ‘We’re all fighters in this cause.’ That’s the message: We have to stand together. You’re not alone in this.”
Fighters of all shapes and sizes rumbled for the cause. Some local celebrities laced ‘em up. Awareness was raised, and a great time was had by all!
So how did Sheriff Campbell do in his first boxing match? “I lost in three rounds. And I loved every minute of it!”
The Kansas Sheriff Association salutes Sheriff Campbell for the fine work he is doing in Reno County and beyond.