SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota will soon have a new Secretary of the Department of Public Safety. 

Craig Price will be retiring from his position and Bob Perry has been appointed by Gov. Kristi Noem to replace him effective Sept. 22, a news release from Noem’s office announced. 

Price submitted a retirement letter to Noem dated Aug. 23. He’s served as DPS Secretary since Noem took office in January 2019. 

“Craig Price has been an outstanding leader and public servant throughout his law enforcement career. His experience, insight, and discernment have been incredibly valuable to me while serving as Governor,” Noem said in a news release. 

Price started in South Dakota as a highway patrol trooper in 1997. 

“When I started as a State Trooper in 1997, I just needed a job, and retirement in 2023 seemed light years away. I had no idea how rewarding it would be serving our state every day since,” Price said in a news release.

Noem said Perry has “big shoes to fill” but added he has “a strong career in law enforcement. Perry started as a trooper in Pennsylvania State Police in 1990 and joined the FBI as a Special Agent in 1997 and his service included time in Pierre. 

Perry has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology with a focus on Criminal Justice from East Stroudsburg University.

“I appreciate Governor Noem giving me this opportunity. I look forward to leading the Department of Public Safety,” Perry said in a news release. “I intend to honor the outstanding values, mission, and accomplishments of the DPS team and to support and lead them in building on those successes. I am excited to support Governor Noem and contribute to her vision for South Dakota.”