FBI’s Kash Patel, Hall of Fame Coach Tony Dungy honor South Dakota law officers

(The Dakota Scout)-FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Marshal’s Service Director Gadyaces Serralta made a surprise visit to Sioux Falls Wednesday, joining NFL Hall of Famer Tony Dungy.

The two top federal law enforcement officers and the former Super Bowl winner were guests at the annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner and Children’s Charity Fundraiser. Dungy had been announced in May as the headliner for this year’s dinner, the 45th annual.

The annual dinner started by former lawmaker and lawman Gene Abdallah has regularly featured big-name speakers – a tradition that has carried on in the years following Abdallah’s death in 2019. The event has raised millions of dollars for charities that help children.

This year’s dinner at the Sioux Falls Convention Center had the big-name speakers, but it also came on the heels of a funeral a week earlier at the same complex for Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Deputy Katherine Frank, who was shot to death earlier this month. Several speakers referenced Frank and the somber nature or the dinner.

“The loss of Deputy Frank is a sad reminder of the dangers our law enforcement face every day to protect us,” emcee Scott Abdallah, the son of Gene Abdallah, said.

Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead with Tony Dungy Oct. 28, 2026. (Jonathan Ellis/The Dakota Scout)

Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead choked up when Abdallah presented him with an award. Milstead is retiring next month after 53 years in law enforcement. He thanked the community that lined the streets to honor Frank’s funeral procession and the law officers from around the country and state who remembered Frank at her funeral.

“Your support for my deputy and my officers will not be forgotten,” he said.

Attorney General Marty Jackley, who spoke at the dinner, had invited Patel to the event last year, but the FBI director’s schedule didn’t allow him to attend. But a couple months ago, Abdallah said, Patel reached out to see if he could come to this year’s dinner.

Patel said he was impressed by a crowd that came close to 2,000.

“I get to travel around the country,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a room like this. And so, I really think America should be looking at South Dakota and saying, ‘They’ve been doing this for 45 years. What are the other states doing?’”

South Dakota has witnessed a 10 percent drop in violent crime, Patel said, one of the deepest drops in violent crime across the country. He credited South Dakota law enforcement’s dedication, and he said other states could learn from South Dakota, which is willing to partner with federal agencies to bring safety to their communities.

“It is truly indicative of how much South Dakota loves law enforcement, loves kids and loves leadership,” he said. “There’s really no better trio: cops, kids, leadership. And I think that’s what we’re selling here tonight.”

“We’ve got your back any time you need something from us – the FBI will show up,” he said.

Serralta said he was honored that a former U.S. Marshal in Gene Abdallah had started the annual dinner. The elder Abdallah started the dinner with a vision of bringing law enforcement together from across jurisdictions to strengthen relationships and recognize service. And he said it was an honor to Gene Abdallah that his son, Scott, has carried on the legacy.

“Gene understood that strong relationships are the foundation of effective law enforcement,” Serralta said. “As director, it is an honor to see the lasting impact of a tradition started by one of our own and carried forward by a son.”

U.S. Marshal Director Gadyaces Serralta at the aw Enforcement Appreciation Dinner and Children’s Charity Fundraiser Oct. 28, 2026. (Jonathan Ellis/The Dakota Scout)

Dungy was last in the line of speakers that included Mayor Christine Erickson. The two share an improbable connection.

The NFL Hall of Fame coach who won the Super Bowl in 2007 with the Indianapolis Colts said he had been to Sioux Falls once before – at the invitation of former Mayor Paul Ten Haken for a Christian conference. On Wednesday, he was back, with a new mayor whose brother, Adam Vinatieri, had helped him win the Super Bowl by scoring 11 points in the game. Vinatieri is also in the Hall of Fame.

Dungy graduated from the University of Minnesota after playing quarterback for the Gophers from 1973 to 1976, becoming the school’s leading passer at the time. He then played three seasons in the NFL as a defensive back.

He Played with the Pittsburg Steelers in the 1977 and 1978 seasons, winning a Super Bowl with the team in 1978. He finished his playing career with the San Francisco 49ers. During his career he played in 45 games.

Dungy followed his playing career as a coach, compiling a 148-79 record with the Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is also a best-selling author and a highly regarded TV football analyst.

The retired coach also paid tribute to Deputy Frank, saying, “She demonstrated the greatest love that anybody has demonstrated for their community. She was ready to do it. We’re upset that she had to do it, but that for her, that’s what it was all about.”

After recounting how he was taught to scout players as a young coach by Steelers’ legendary head coach Chuck Noll, Dungy talked about his father and his father’s younger brother, Richard. Both joined the military during World War II – Dungy’s father becoming a Tuskegee airman while his uncle Richard joined the Army.

Dungy said his father, as the oldest sibling among five boys, was responsible, and became a teacher after the war. Richard was wayward as a youth, and Dungy said his family didn’t think he’d make much of himself.

But following his time in the Army, Richard became a police officer in Detroit. He was dedicated to ridding a local high school from drug dealers and keeping the community safe. That sometimes included making tough decisions about arresting neighbors and friends of his children. Rather than move, Richard stayed on because he wanted to make his community safer.

Dungy’s uncle spent 30 years in law enforcement and retired as deputy chief in Detroit. When his uncle was in law enforcement, the officers were held in high esteem. But in many places, that’s not the case now. But not in South Dakota.

“I’m so proud of South Dakota,” he said.