PIERRE, S.D. (KELO AM) – Capt. Kevin Joffer, commander of the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s Sioux Falls District, is retiring effective Jan. 8, 2014 after 30 years with the Patrol.
He will be replaced by Lt. Alan Welsh, currently assistant district commander for the Highway Patrol’s 2ndDistrict, headquartered in Sioux Falls.
“We wish Captain Joffer all the best in retirement,’’ said Col. Craig Price, superintendent of the Highway Patrol. “We will miss him a great deal, but this is a well-deserved retirement after 30 years of stellar service with the Patrol.’’
Joffer began his law enforcement career in 1979 as police chief in Viborg. He joined the Highway Patrol as a trooper in 1984 and was stationed in Elk Point. He was promoted to squad sergeant in 2001 and became lieutenant and assistant district commander for the Sioux Falls district in 2002. He became captain and commander of District 2 in July of 2006. He and his wife, Cindy, have three children.
“I will greatly miss the people I served with over three decades, but it’s time to move on to a new challenge,’’ Joffer said. “Serving in the South Dakota Highway Patrol has been a tremendous opportunity and honor for me. Now I’m looking forward to retirement and more time with my family.
The Sioux Falls District encompasses 25 counties in the southeastern part of the state.