By: Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — To Payne County Undersheriff Kevin Woodward, who is scheduled to be sworn in as sheriff on Sept. 3, increasing professionalism of the department is a top priority. And that means more emphasis on continuing education and training, he said.
Woodward, who has an associate’s degree in police science from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Oklahoma, believes learning is vital to living.
“I’m big into training. The day you stop learning is the day you die, in my opinion,” remarked Woodward, who had just taken a class on the morning of this interview.
Interestingly, the course he took, which is required for annual re-certification to carry a taser, was taught by one of his deputies, who is certified as an instructor by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training.
“We have at least 10 CLEET-certified instructors that are our deputies. We invite other agencies to take our training,” noted Woodward, who said his office has a “great working relationship with the Stillwater Police Department.”
“We use their gun range. A lot of the training, we do together. We have to qualify with our guns every year,” Woodward added.
One of the incoming sheriff’s goals is to have in-car cameras and body cams for all deputies, he said.
“I’ve got three new Durangos that will have this within the next two months. It costs $6,000 a car, so it will take me a while. We don’t have a big budget for it.
“We’re looking into purchasing body cameras for everybody. It’s all about budget. It would be $42,000 approximately,” added Woodward, who said he’d like to do it as soon as possible. “I hope this year, but probably it will take three to five years,” Woodward said.
“I want to bring openness and transparency,” the incoming sheriff said.
Woodward, 52, lives with his wife and 9-year-old son in rural Stillwater. He also has a 27-year-old daughter.
The first member of his family to go into law enforcement, Woodward grew up in Oklahoma City, but his family also had a farm in Guthrie.
“I was looking at getting into the military, but my mom got sick with cancer. All my brothers and sisters had moved out of state,” so he wanted to stay close by, he said.
Originally he thought he might become a metropolitan police officer, but he decided that working for a county sheriff’s office would better fit his personality.
“I wanted to help people. I went to county. I liked the atmosphere of a family. It’s real policing. You know your community.”
Asked what he likes about law enforcement where he has worked for 23 years, Woodward said, “I can help people — that’s it.
“The most important persons at the Sheriff’s Office are the deputies and the dispatchers,” when someone calls 911 in distress, he said.
“There’s no way to describe the horror you have to deal with as a law enforcement officer,” explained Woodward, recalling how hard it was for officers to cope with the tragedy of the double-murder of children and a suicide.
“We carry a rifle-round vest for an active shooter — it has to be right next to us,” noted Woodward, pulling one out from under his desk where it’s kept “so I can grab it and go wherever — to a courtroom,” or another shooting scene.
Woodward expressed concern for the health and well-being of everyone in the sheriff’s office.
“Our weight room had to be scrapped for investigators’ offices.
“We’re currently looking for a gym we can have a contract with. I want to do everything I can to help them be the best they can, so they are better for Payne County,” Woodward said.
Woodward said the staff consists of 51 in the sheriff’s office and 45 in the Payne County Jail.
All 34 field deputies have body armor vests that are up-to-date, he said.
“Patrol officers have to wear them at all times. We make sure we have plenty of water in all our cars so they are hydrated.”
Woodward said that field deputies all have computers at their desks, but since laptops are not in all patrol cars, deputies can use their phones to access information.
Computer use is one of the areas of expertise of Woodward, who is extremely organized and detail-oriented.
Asked about the changes he has seen since he went to work in December of 1994 at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office where he spent his last eight years there as undersheriff before joining the Payne County Sheriff’s Office as captain in January of 2009 and then becoming undersheriff in November of 2016, Woodward said, “Law enforcement has been modernized.
“That’s what I really believe in — having information at the fingertips of deputies.”
Woodward, who strongly emphasizes cross-training, pointed out that courthouse security staff members are all full-fledged deputies.
He’s grateful that the Payne County Commissioners unanimously appointed him on Aug. 19 as sheriff on the recommendation of R.B. Hauf, whose retirement takes effect on Sept. 1.
Asked about changes in his staff, Woodward said that the only one will be that Captain Chris Nixon will replace him as undersheriff.
“We’ve got a great group of people,” he said smiling.
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