Rogers County Sheriff Named Oklahoma Sheriff Of The Year

Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton is named Oklahoma's Sheriff of the Year.

The Oklahoma Sheriff's Association board of directors selected Walton out of all the Sheriffs protecting and serving the state's 77 counties.

"The award means a lot to me, and it gives us a chance to showcase the men and women of the Rogers County Sheriff's Office," Walton said.

Rogers County deputies like Sergeant Logan Eller believes Walton deserved every bit of the praise. "He is the best leader that I have personally worked for," Eller said.

Walton was sworn in on January of 2009 and is the 20th sheriff to serve Rogers County.

He said this award is not just about him. He said it is also a reflection of how good his staff is at the Sheriff's Office.

But he also said it wasn't always smooth sailing because a lot of lessons were learned while on the job.

"I think we're doing some things textbook perfect right now, but I think probably the reason why is we've done everything wrong the first time to learn the right way to do it," Walton said. "So, we've learned a lot of lessons the hard way."

Walton said there's still a lot of work to do coming out of the pandemic when it comes to mental health help and illegal drugs.

He said he has a huge responsibility to keep people safe and he's glad he is doing it where he grew up, with the people he calls colleagues.

"I'd take a bullet for any of these people that I get to work with everyday and I know without a doubt they would for me," Walton said. "So, that's a team, that's a partnership."

"Him receiving this award just affirms that he's one of the best...in my opinion in the country," Eller said.