Former attorney general appointed by Jackley to advise state commission
Mark Vargo back after legal work in Thailand
Attorney General Marty Jackley has appointed his predecessor to serve as counsel to the law enforcement officers standards and training commission.
Jackley announced former Attorney General Mark Vargo would advise the 13-member commission - tasked primarily with helping to oversee training for police officers and matters regarding certification - as an attorney, specifically assisting with work on training and special prosecutions.
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His appointment was effective Dec. 31.
“Former Attorney General Vargo understands the importance of law enforcement certification when it comes to protecting the public,” said Jackley. “Law enforcement that the public can trust is vital, and former Attorney General Vargo will provide the advice for the commission to make informed decisions.”
Vargo has built an extensive resume in public service to the law in the Rushmore state. After serving as assistant state’s attorney in Miami-Dade County, he moved to South Dakota in 1992 to become assistant state’s attorney in Pennington County, later becoming assistant United States attorney for South Dakota. He would go on to serve as the Pennington County State’s Attorney from 2013 to 2022.
In 2022, Vargo led the prosecution in the Senate impeachment trial against former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, helping to deliver a decision that saw Ravnsborg removed from office by one vote. Less than a week later, Gov. Kristi Noem appointed him the 32nd attorney general of South Dakota.
Shortly after his brief term came to a conclusion, Vargo moved to southeast Asia to help with “rule of law” projects in the region, he told The Dakota Scout in a March 2023 interview.
Vargo recently returned to the United States, and has plans to be a full-time South Dakota resident again soon.
“I am very grateful to Attorney General Jackley,” Vargo told The Scout. “Having been abroad in a place where the rule of law and professionalism in the judicial system is not in the United States, just reminds me how good we have it in the United States, and South Dakota in particular. I look forward to helping maintain that integrity and standard of professionalism.”
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