“In 30 years as a police officer, the job is filled with restless nights, seeing things you don’t want to see and getting called out at 3 a.m. But I want to help others, get them on a better path. I want to see them do better and that’s why I love my job. ”
Tony Almaguer is the incumbent Republican candidate for Blaine County Sheriff. That election in June 30 and the winner will face a Democratic challenger in November.
Almaguer was born and went to school in Hollis. He is a retired member of the Oklahoma National Guard. In 1990 he started as a deputy for Harmon County before joining the Hollis Police Department in 1992, where he was assistant chief of police.
In 1995 he moved to Watonga where he served on the police force for 21 years, retiring in 2016. He was elected Blaine County Sheriff that year and started Jan. 1, 2017.
“In 30 years as a police officer, the job is filled with restless nights, seeing things you don’t want to see and getting called out at 3 a.m. But I want to help others, get them on a better path. I want to see them do better and that’s why I love my job,” he said.
During his tenure as sheriff, Almaguer said he has had a nurse who comes to the jail three times a week to check on the inmates, added a weight room for the deputies and jail staff and makes sure the 11 deputies are out patrolling the nearly 1,000 miles of road in the county. The patrols are ensured by GPS systems added recently to the patrol units.
Those patrol units also have camera and computer systems, Almaguer said, and many of the units are newer models There are more deputies than when he took the reins at the office and those deputies have body cameras now. There have been advances in the record systems, and food service costs have been cut nearly in half, Almaguer said.
In response to recent national news about discrimination among police agencies toward the citizens they serve, Alamguer said “All my deputies treat people equally and fairly, with respect. If someone does not believe they have been treated fairly, they are welcome to come see me personally. My door is always open.
Almaguer is a father of four and a grandfather to four grandchildren.
Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com