|
|
 |
SCOTT WALTON |
|
|
“...there's still so much work left to do and I know Scott's the right man, at the right time and for the right reasons to take us the rest of the way.” - Sheriff Jerry Prather Claremore – Rogers County Sheriff Jerry Prather has endorsed sheriff candidate Scott Walton and wants to pass the torch off to him in November. “I gladly offer my complete approval to Scott to be the next sheriff of Rogers County. He's the right man for the job,” Prather said. Walton formally announced his candidacy to run in March and Prather was in attendance at the Walton Rally. “I've known Scott for a long time and I'm confident in him,” the sheriff said. Prather is retiring from a forty-year career in law enforcement that includes three terms as the sheriff in Rogers County. Prather, reflecting on his time leading the department, spoke of the changes he has seen. “When I first took office there was a population of about fifty-six thousand people in all of Rogers County and now it's up to about eighty-six thousand. Just in the sheriff office's patrol areas (areas outside of municipalities) there are about fifty-six thousand people.” Prather also oversaw a modernization of the sheriff's department in his time as sheriff. “There were only three police cars, about a dozen jail staff working in a jail that was was nowhere near what we needed,” he said. “Those were lean days and it was tough.” Since then, Prather has been able to get a new, ten-million dollar jail built and led the department through transitions of serving a much larger population. “Instead of three police cars, there are now eighteen and instead of a dozen jailers there are now thirty-three members of the jail staff,” he said. “There have been a lot of improvements made here in Rogers County but there's still a lot left to make.” Prather also said that there is a sense of community in his office that he doesn't want to see fade away when he leaves office. “My deputies go that extra mile for citizens who need it,” he said. “People come in a lot with non-law enforcement issues like civil questions. Most other places would brush them off and say, 'go get a lawyer,' but my deputies try and help them because the people coming to us aren't strangers, they're our neighbors and they're coming to us for help. We might not be able to solve their problems but at least we don't turn our backs on them.” Walton formally announced his candidacy to run in March and Prather was in attendance at the Walton Rally. “I've known Scott for a long time and I'm confident in him,” the sheriff said. In speaking of Walton, Prather said that the post required a good decision maker and a grounded person with the ability to keep moving the department forward. “Scott Walton is the candidate that can keep Rogers County on track to meet the needs of the present and the future,” he said. “As I think back I can see that Scott has a massive amount of experience. He's worked in just about every aspect of law enforcement and can handle the needs of Rogers County,” the sheriff said. Prather also said that being the sheriff requires a unique understanding of not just law enforcement and politics but also an understanding of the Rogers County atmosphere. “Scott understands that the Rogers County Sheriff's Office isn't just a law enforcement agency but it's an organization that people need and rely on,” he said. “So many people think that running a sheriff's office is like something they see on television but it's simply not and Scott's someone who already has that figured out.” Prather said that giving an endorsement to someone for his seat is a personal and important matter because the office has been a large part of his life. “I've been the sheriff here for over a decade and, when I retire, I'll be closing the door on a forty-year law enforcement career. You simply cannot work that long in this kind of profession and not feel a strong attachment to the office and the people involved in it,” Prather said. “And, while I know I'm going to miss it, I also know that I'm asking that the office be left in the best possible hands of Scott Walton. There's so much work that's been done to get us where we are and there's still so much work left to do and I know Scott's the right man, at the right time and for the right reasons to take us the rest of the way.” Walton said he was “touched and honored” to receive Prather's endorsement. “Those are big shoes to fill and I am both humbled and proud that he sees me as the person who will take what he's accomplished and keep building on that,” Walton said.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Paid for by Scott Walton for Sheriff |
||
Campaign
Report: Prather Praises Walton as Successor