BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL
Morgan Ballis is now sheriff of the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) after a landslide victory, 74.23% to 25.77%, over Aaron Hughston in the November 5th election. In just over four years Ballis has blazed a beneficent trail with his work in the Valley. A beloved favorite with the students at Wood River High School, Ballis’s tenure as School Resource Officer (SRO) for the Blaine County School District (BCSD) was fertile ground to instill the experience that guides him in protecting what matters the most—the future of the community.
In a statement directly to the Wood River Valley and the broader community of Blaine County, Morgan Ballis’s gratitude and optimism glow:
“Our family deeply appreciates the love, generosity, and support from the residents of Blaine County. This race transcended party lines and political affiliation. The voters of Blaine County united together around our vision of community collaboration and prevention-based policing.
“Now the real work begins. Sheriff Steve Harkins has created a strong foundation with a professional and highly knowledgeable staff. I am excited to join the team at the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office and lead one of the best law enforcement agencies in the nation.”
Honoring the foundational excellence Harkins instantiated, Ballis has immediate concerns specifically with narcotics and human trafficking. From this higher vantage point he can keep Harkins’s well-oiled machinery running smoothly.
Ballis brings strong leadership acumen from decades of experience as an officer trainer and most crucially as a unit leader conducting counter-narcotics and human-trafficking operations with federal law enforcement agencies. This experience alone makes Ballis a precision-fit sheriff as he has seen firsthand, during his work as SRO in the Valley, how the narcotics trade coincides with shocking exploitation of youth in the community.
Ballis is an innovator. He “…led the effort to implement school safety system changes to include the adoption of the BCSD Standard Response Commands, the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guide, and the Standard Reunification Method. Due to his collaborative efforts with BCSD leadership, the Hailey Police Department was named the 2023 Model Agency of the Year by the National Association of School Resource Officers.” (https://www.morgan4sheriff.org/experience)
Child safety comes first for the new sheriff, and as he has stated, he intends to focus on expanding the Blaine County Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET) with an eye on human-trafficking issues that lurk beneath the surface of this seemingly safe community. Anyone who has ridden Mountain Rides may possibly have seen people of all ages, youth in particular, heavily inebriated, stumbling and under the influence of powerful narcotics. The Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) “One Pill Can Kill” campaign is in effect and BCSO officers are trained and in cooperation to battle this epidemic.
From his own site, Ballis has set the tone for his tenure as sheriff. “[Ballis] understands the balance of influencing growth while not disrupting systems that are working well.”
Congratulations to Morgan Ballis. A victory celebration is in the works which should offer an opportunity to meet Sheriff Ballis if you haven’t already. Whether on the job or enjoying a burger, Ballis is out and about in the Valley, affable, present and open to ideas and conversation.
