Canadian County Sheriff Chris West announced his intentions to seek a second term as sheriff on Jan. 1 when he posted to his personal Facebook account: “I’m running for re-election in 2020! It’s such an incredible blessing to serve as Canadian County Sheriff.”
The announcement was posted along with his picture to both his personal account, as well as his Sheriff Chris West account, which serves as his Facebook campaign page.
West, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and retired Oklahoma Highway Patrol captain took office as sheriff in January 2017 after serving as Canadian County undersheriff (second in command) for four years and winning 70% of the vote in a June 2016 Republican primary election.
West, a Canadian County native who grew up in Yukon, made significant organizational changes to the Sheriff’s Office when he took office, streamlining supervision and increasing the number of deputies patrolling the rural portions of the county.
These changes increased quality of service to citizens and decreased response times for calls.
West also saw the need to expand the Sheriff’s Office communications and dispatch capabilities.
He expanded the number of radio consoles from two to four and added GeoSafe; a cellular based GPS tracking and Computer Aided Dispatch system.
GeoSafe allows dispatchers to observe real time locations of deputies on a computer screen, aiding in dispatching units to call for service in a more timely and efficient manner, and increases officer’s safety at the same time.
GeoSafe also allows deputies to tap into the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunications system and query law enforcement related information directly from their patrol units using personal computer (laptop) technology.
West also recognized the need for the county jail to have a secure garage facility known as a sally port. Sally ports allow for the safe and secure loading and unloading of prisoners by law enforcement officers.
West identified and used non-taxpayer monies to fund the $600,000 sally port project which will serve the county well for decades to come.
“These were all things I recognized as critical needs while I was working as the undersheriff, and once I became sheriff, I placed them as priorities,” West said.
West maintains his commitment to safeguarding the children of Canadian County and his deputies proactively work to take pedophiles off the streets as members of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
West is committed to building on and improving the professionalism of the Sheriff’s Office and providing top quality services to the citizens of Canadian County.
“I believe that focusing on the areas of leadership, education and training and communication is the key to delivering the quality of services both our employees and citizens both deserve,” West said.
West, a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy, also possesses an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice from Redlands Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Management & Leadership from Southern Nazarene University.
West serves as the second vice president to the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association and was elected onto the Board of Directors of the National Sheriff’s Association this past June in Louisville, Ky.
Sheriff West also serves as a member of Oklahoma’s Council for Law Enforcement Education and Training, the Oklahoma District Attorney’s Council’s Forensic Sciences Improvement Task Force and as a member of the Oklahoma Board of Tests for Alcohol & Drug Influence.
West was named as the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association’s 2019 Sheriff of the Year this past August.
