JOHN WHETSEL

John Whetsel graduated from Midwest City High School and began his law enforcement career in 1967, joined the Choctaw Police Department in 1972 and served as Choctaw Chief of Police for 21 years before being elected Oklahoma County Sheriff in 1997. Whetsel has earned an Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate, an Associate degree in Police Science from Southwestern College, a Bachelor degree in Government and Sociology from the University of Central Oklahoma, and has Master's studies in Criminal Justice. Sheriff Whetsel is a past president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Oklahoma Sheriff and Peace Officers Association. He is a member of the Oklahoma Sheriff's Association, the National Sheriff's Association, and is a cofounder of the Major County Sheriff's Association and has authored many law enforcement articles and is a nationally recognized authority on police pursuits having testified before Congressional committees and legislative hearings. Sheriff Whetsel serves on the National Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts of America Law Enforcement Explorers, the Oklahoma Board of Tests for Alcohol and Drug Influence, chairs the Oklahoma Masonic Law Enforcement Recognition Committee, and serves on numerous community advisory boards. He has been the recipient of many honors, including the 2001 Oklahoma Grand Law Officer of the Year, Oklahoma Highway Safety Officer Top Cop award, a U.S. Jaycees Outstanding Young Man of America, and recently was inducted into the Sheriff's Hall of Fame. Sheriff Whetsel's family includes his wife Mitzi; daughters Jonna Whetsel and Stacy Moore, son-in-law Brock Moore, and granddaughter Kailey Moore, and grandson Bailey Moore. John and his wife Mitzi live in Choctaw and attend St. John's Church in Edmond.

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