Watertown Officer Alexis Buysse Named South Dakota’s Officer of the Year
- Steve Jurrens
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - A Watertown police officer whose work has helped reshape the community’s approach to mental health has received one of South Dakota’s highest law‑enforcement honors.
Officer Alexis Buysse has been named the 2026 Officer of the Year by the South Dakota Police Chiefs’ and Sheriffs’ Associations, recognizing her leadership, life‑saving interventions, and commitment to community‑focused policing.
Buysse has served as the department’s Mental Health Officer since 2021, a role in which she helped build Watertown’s modern crisis‑response model from the ground up. According to the City of Watertown, her work emphasizes proactive outreach, long-term support, and strong partnerships with mental health providers, schools, social services, and the courts.
The results have been significant. Within the first year of the program, Watertown saw annual suicides drop from twelve to three, a shift city officials attribute to early intervention and coordinated care.
In 2025, Buysse helped expand the department’s efforts by implementing a co-response model with a social worker, launching the “Are You OK?” daily mental health check-in campaign, and introducing “Blue,” a mascot dog used to build positive connections with youth.
Police Chief Tim Toomey, who presented the award, said Buysse’s work “goes far beyond traditional law enforcement,” noting that she has “built relationships, saved lives, and created a model that others can follow.”
City officials say the recognition reflects not only Buysse’s dedication but also the broader community impact of Watertown’s evolving mental health response strategy.
For more information, the Watertown Police Department can be reached at (605) 882‑6210.
