1st woman Washtenaw County sheriff is youngest ever, bringing new outlook to office

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - "My name is Alyshia Dyer and I'm going to be the next Washtenaw County sheriff."

As the first woman and the youngest person at just 34 years of age - Alyshia Dyer brings a new perspective and experience to the office.

"I grew up here in Washtenaw County - in Ypsilanti - to a single-parent household," she said. "I ended up running away from home as a young person and had positive and negative interactions with the police."

This included being falsely arrested - it was those interactions that inspired her to get into law enforcement.

"I wanted to be an officer that would help young people and not be hurtful," she said.

Dyer worked road patrol and the Marine Division at the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office. She then went back to school, studied public policy and social work. She became a therapist and community organizer trying to fix a broken system.

"That's what really led me to decide to run for sheriff," she said.

Now she's ready to hit the ground running - with a focus on young people and equality.

"We were routinely seeing Black children coming in and out of our legal system much more than white children," she said.

And it's not just racial inequality - but income inequality in policing that she plans to tackle.

"It doesn't mean we're not going to pull people over," Dyer said. "What it means is, we're not going to pull people over for the petty stuff - you know, the crack in the windshield - the loud exhaust - the stuff that's really related to income."

Sheriff-elect Dyer is an advocate for partnering with community groups - and community engagement through policy teams, asking the public to collaborate on important issues.

"In-person jail visitation, immigrant rights, environmental and corporate crimes, we have mental health and wellness for employees," she said. "Hiring and recruitment."

Dyer wants to eliminate quotas for sheriff's deputies and concentrate on their mental health.

"Making sure that officers really have the tools that they need to take care of themselves," she said. "Because we can't expect law enforcement to respond to these really tense calls for service and make responsible decisions when they're working sleep-deprived and they're not being prioritized as well."

Another priority? Getting more people to join her team.

"We are hiring at the sheriff's office - so if anyone is interested in law enforcement, corrections or dispatch," she said. "We have a number of open positions."

And an ambitious new leader ready for change.

Washtenaw County Sheriff-elect Alyshia Dwyer.