Former Beltrami County Sheriff Tom Tolman Dies at 97

Tom Tolman (Courtesy: Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office)

A former Beltrami County sheriff passed away on Oct. 25 at the age of 97.

According to a post from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, Tom Tolman served as sheriff from January 1967 until his retirement in January 1982.

During Tolman’s time as sheriff, he attended the 87th class at FBI National Academy, collaborated on creating Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) for new enforcement personnel in Minnesota, lobbied to create training programs for law enforcement officers (which led to the current two-year programs at Minnesota State colleges), and was an active member on various committees.

Before his tenure as sheriff, Tolman taught junior high history for 11 years. Tolman was also elected to the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners in 1982 and served there for one term.

Tolman is survived by his five children, seven grandchildren, two siblings, and his companion Judith Dawson.

Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Aardahl Lutheran Church in Bemidji, with memorial services starting at 11.