Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

Washington County Sheriff Scott Owen has filed for re-election, and he wants the public to know that he wants to continue the tradition of excellence they have at the sheriff's office if he is re-elected.

For a year and a little over three months, Owen has served as Washington County's sheriff. He was selected by the Washington County Commissioners to fill in for former Sheriff Rick Silver, who now works at the Bartlesville Police Department as a Special Assistant for Police Chief Tracy Roles after retiring from the role of sheriff. Sheriff Owen is currently in office until December 31st, unless he is re-elected.

Both Rick Silver and former Undersheriff Steve Johnson should still be commended for what they were able to accomplish during their time at the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Owen said they did a great job in the roles they served in, and they were part of the force that led to the creation of a new county jail built that stands to this day in Bartlesville.

During his personal tenure as sheriff, Sheriff Owen said there were some staffing challenges in the beginning. Sheriff Owen said deputies were heading toward work at police departments, which offer a better pension plan than any sheriff's office can. He said they cannot fault a man or a woman for wanting to improve their career.

A great transition was made in terms of filling those vacancies at the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Owen said his crew in the jail and the sheriff's office have been a pleasure to work with. He said they are a family, and they work hard every day to get the job right for the community and for their offices.

Budget apprehensions were looming on the horizon several months ago. However, voters in Washington County voted to maintain a sales tax extension that the County Commissioners brought forward in 2019. Sheriff Owen said that allows them to maintain the operations at one of the finest jails in Oklahoma.

Washington County and northeast Oklahoma is home to Sheriff Owen. He said the community and his employees have been very supportive of him. He said he hopes to do his best for them every day, no matter what.

Maintaining the current statue of the fleet and the equipment operations is one area Sheriff Owen is keeping his eye on. He said he does not see the possibility of expanding his staff tremendously, but he would like to be able to provide more investigators.

Additionally, Sheriff Owen said he would like to see continued improvements when it comes to specialized training. He said he would also like to get more deputies into our local schools.

This means bringing back into full swing the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. Sheriff Owen said they want to bring the program for parents and their children to keep them aware. Seeing improvements in the arena of online reporting for the citizens of Washington County is just another item Sheriff Owen would like to work on if he is re-elected.

1985 is the year that Sheriff Owen's career in law enforcement began. Owen said he worked as a police officer for the City of Bartlesville. In 2010, then Sheriff Silver and Undersheriff Johnson reached out to Owen with an opportunity to work with them at the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Intrigued by the offer, Owen retired from his role as the Captain of Operations at the Bartlesville Police Department in July 2010. Later that year in August, Owen began his career at the Washington County Sheriff's Office as a patrol deputy. He held this position for three years before he was promoted to be a Sergeant in charge of the Transport Unit and Courthouse Security.

Now Owen is the Sheriff of Washington County. Through his career, Sheriff Owen said he has gained a lot of experience through training. He said he has also gained plenty of experience when it comes to maintaining a budget, which is an important part of the administrative role of sheriff.

Being good stewards of the tax payer's dollars is paramount to Sheriff Owen and the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Owen said he believes they have been good stewards of the public's money, and he hopes to continue to do such if he is re-elected.

Apart from maintaining a budget, Sheriff Owen was a certified instructor when he worked for Bartlesville. He said he can teach CLEET classes, and that he has over 400 hours of advanced accident training, so he can teach accident training classes to deputies and police officers. The accident training also opens the door for him to assist with accident investigations. The Washington County Sheriff's Office is one of the few offices in Oklahoma that can even investigate accidents.

Sheriff Owen said he would like to believe that the sheriff's office is a cooperative agency that works well with other across the Washington County and the Sooner State. He said he wants to continue to expand that effort while trusting the good Lord that he is doing what the county wants him to do, because he wants to give everyone he serves his full potential.