Canadian County Sheriff Chris West announced his intentions to seek a third term over the weekend when he posted to his personal Facebook account: “I’m running for re-election in 2024!  It’s such an incredible honor to serve as Canadian County Sheriff.”

West, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and retired Oklahoma Highway Patrol Captain took office as Sheriff in January 2017 after winning 71% of the vote, and then ran unopposed for a second term in 2020.

West, a Canadian County native who grew up in Yukon, made significant organizational changes to the Sheriff’s Office, streamlining supervision, and increasing the number of deputies patrolling the rural portions of the county, resulting in improved service to the rural and agricultural areas of Canadian County.  These changes significantly increased the quality of service to citizens and decreased response times for calls. 

West saw the need to expand the Sheriff’s Office communications and dispatch capabilities, so he expanded the number of radio consoles from 2 to 4 and added GeoSafe; a cellular based tracking and Computer Aided Dispatch system, which allows dispatchers to observe real time locations of deputies on a computer screen, aiding in dispatching units to calls for service in a more timely and efficient manner, and increasing officer’s safety and accountability.

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 six hundred-thousand-dollar project which will serve the county well into the future.

In his second term West saw the need to expand efforts at safeguarding the children of Canadian County through a child pedophile investigative unit, and as members of Oklahoma’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force. He not only added personnel to the unit, and gained national recognition when his office was spotlighted on the Discovery channel’s (Investigative Discovery) “Undercover Underage” series in 2023.

In December 2019 West was selected for and traveled with a delegation of U.S. law enforcement executives to Israel for an Israeli Counter Terrorism training program with the Jewish Institute for the National Security of America.  Earlier this year, West began partnering with the Oklahoma Counter Terrorism and Intelligence Center and works with other state, local and federal law enforcement agencies in combating transnational criminal organizations that victimize citizens residing and working in Canadian County. 

Sheriff West serves as Vice Chair of Oklahoma’s Council for Law Enforcement Education and Training, and as a Forensic Sciences Improvement Task Force member with the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council. 

West was selected as the 2019 Sheriff of the Year by the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association and served as President of the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association from October 2021 to October 2022.  Currently, he is the Immediate Past President.

In June 2023, Sheriff West was elected to Second Vice President of the National Sheriff’s Association, representing over 3,000 sheriffs nationwide.  As a board member of the NSA, he serves on the Homeland Security, Border Security and Drug & Narcotics committees.  In these positions, Sheriff West represents not only the Nation’s Sheriffs, but the State of Oklahoma on real time issues impacting other Oklahoma Sheriffs and their citizens.

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. He has been able to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of a growing county by obtaining additional funds to increase the number of deputies working in the Patrol, Civil, Investigations and School Resource Deputy divisions: all providing critical services and ensuring professional public safety and protection to the citizens of Canadian County.

Sheriff West serves as a board member of the Canadian County Family Justice Center, also known as “Cardinal Point,” which provides critical and often-times emergency assistance to victims of domestic violence. Sheriff West was one of the first to step up in support of Cardinal Point and demonstrated his commitment to families by assigning a criminal investigator to the center in a full-time capacity.

In 2023, West saw the need to recognize Canadian County deputies who gave their lives in the performance of duty and coordinated the establishment of a Canadian County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement memorial, located just outside the Canadian County Courthouse.  Because of his innovation and leadership, the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office is recognized across the state as a top tier law enforcement & public safety agency.

“I believe that focusing on the areas of Leadership, Education & Training and Communication is the key to professional development, and in delivering the quality of service our employees and citizens both deserve,” West said. 

West is a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy and possesses an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice from Redlands Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Management & Leadership from Southern Nazarene University.  Sheriff West is a Constitutional conservative committed to protecting the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; the Rule of Law; and the Due Process rights of every individual.