Sheriff Chris West

• Sheriff Chris West is a fifth generation Oklahoman, and lifelong resident of Canadian County.  A 1980 graduate of Yukon High School, West attended college for one year before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps.  As a U. S. Marine, West served in assignments at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California, and with the U.S. Marine Detachment, United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  West received an honorable discharge, separating from active duty as a Non-Commissioned Officer in 1984.
• Following service as a U.S. Marine, West served twenty-eight years with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety; retiring from the Highway Patrol on December 31, 2012 at the rank of Captain.  During his service with the Highway Patrol, West worked in assignments at the State Capitol, as a Traffic Trooper, Academy Training Staff, Field Supervisor, Troop Commander, Agency Spokesperson, on the Highway Patrol Honor Guard, and as a member of the Highway Patrol Tactical Team.  Following retirement from the Highway Patrol, West was appointed as the Canadian County Undersheriff, and worked in that capacity until he took office as the elected Sheriff of Canadian County on January 3, 2017.  Sheriff West ran unopposed in 2020, and began a second term as Canadian County Sheriff on January 4, 2021.
• During his thirty five plus years in law enforcement, Sheriff West has amassed over 3500 hours of law enforcement training.  Sheriff West possesses an Oklahoma Advanced Law Enforcement Certification, and is a certified firearms instructor on handguns, shotguns, and rifles through the Oklahoma Council for Law Enforcement Education & Training.  West also holds more than a dozen FEMA National Incident Management System certifications, as well as both an Advanced and Instructor level Certifications in Emergency Public Information.  Sheriff West possesses an Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Redlands Community College, and a Bachelor of Science in Management & Leadership from Southern Nazarene University.  Sheriff West is a 2004 graduate of the 216th Session of the FBI National Academy, and a 2013 graduate of the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Academy.
• Sheriff West was appointed to the Oklahoma Council for Law Enforcement Education & Training by the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association representing Sheriffs with county populations above twenty-five thousand.  West also serves as Board Member to the Oklahoma Board of Tests for Alcohol & Drug Influence, representing the Oklahoma Sheriffs & Peace Officers Association.  In addition, West serves as Board Member to the Oklahoma District Attorney Council’s Forensic Sciences Improvement Task Force.
• Sheriff West currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association as First Vice President and will take office as President of the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association in October of 2021.  Sheriff West served as the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association representative to the Western States Sheriff’s Association from 2017 to 2019.  In June of 2019 Sheriff West was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Sheriff’s Association where he serves as a member of the NSA’s Homeland Security, and Drug Enforcement Committees. In August of 2019 West was selected as the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association “Sheriff of the Year.”
• Sheriff West attended the JINSA (Jewish Institute for the National Security of America) Homeland Security/Counter Terrorism training program in Israel as part of a U.S. Law Enforcement delegation in December 2019.
• Sheriff West and his wife, Kelly, a Registered Nurse, have been married for 38 years, and have two adult, married sons, and three grandchildren.  Sheriff West and his wife reside in Mustang, Oklahoma, and are members of Council Road Baptist Church.