Canadian County 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-nine 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 various assignments to include at the State Capitol, as a Traffic Trooper, Academy Training Staff, Field Supervisor, Troop Commander, Agency Spokesperson, Highway Patrol Honor Guard, and as a member of the Highway Patrol Tactical Team. Following retirement from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, West was appointed Undersheriff of the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office and worked in that capacity until he took office as the elected Sheriff on January 3, 2017. West ran unopposed for a second term in 2020 and was elected to a third term on June 18, 2024; winning 81.83% of the vote.

During his forty years in law enforcement, Sheriff West has amassed over 4,000 hours of law enforcement training. West possesses an Advanced Oklahoma Law Enforcement Certification and is a certified firearms instructor. West holds more than a dozen Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Incident Management System certifications, as well as an instructor level Certification in Emergency Public Information. Sheriff West possesses an Associate 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. West completed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Leadership Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia in August 2024.

Sheriff West served on the Oklahoma Council for Law Enforcement Education & Training from May 2018 until December 2024, including a two-year term as Vice Chair. West is a Board Member to the Oklahoma District Attorney Council’s Forensic Sciences Improvement Task Force, and former Board Member to the Oklahoma Board of Tests for Alcohol & Drug Influence.

Sheriff West was elected to the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association in 2017 and served as OSA President from 2021 to 2022. In 2019, West was named “Sheriff of the Year” by the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association.

In December 2019, West attended a Homeland Security/Counter Terrorism training program in Israel as part of a U.S. Law Enforcement delegation sponsored by the Jewish Institute for the National Security of America (JINSA).

In 2019, West was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Sheriffs Association (NSA). He is currently the NSA 1st Vice President and is slated to take office as President in June 2025. West is a member of NSA’s Southwest Border Security, Homeland Security, and Drug Enforcement Committees.