Published: January 07, 2009 09:50 am         

Hauf steps into role as sheriff

First priority, he says, is to get more volunteers patrolling the streets

R.B. Hauf stepped into his office Friday, assuming his new role of county sheriff, a position he’d been eyeing for a while.

“It was unbelievable. My decision to run for sheriff was something I had wanted to do for a long time,” he said. “The amount of support I had was just very humbling.”

He defeated appointed Sheriff Noel Bagwell in the Nov. 4 election.

Hauf was sworn in Friday morning, starting his new job immediately after. His biggest priority: To get more volunteers out on the road patrolling.

“(One) of the things I want to see changed is the reserve program to be enhanced,” he said. “(Increasing) the amount of field deputies in the county is critical with enhancing the reserve program.”

Getting volunteers patrolling authority will increase safety by increasing the number of people on duty, Hauf said.

Improving the interview protocol for new police officers, including drug testing and physical fitness tests, is another key priority for the new sheriff, he said, “just to ensure the citizens get the best officer they can.”

He said he also wants to reduce the number of outstanding warrants in the county.

Before deciding to run for sheriff, Hauf said, he had spent 18 years working for law enforcement.

He started working in 1989 as a jailer and dispatcher, but after three years, he was promoted to a field deputy, he said. For the past three years, he was an investigator.

“Every one of those have prepared me tremendously. I cherish the time I was a jailer dispatcher because of all I learned,” he said. “All of those positions were extremely valuable.”

Hauf said he quit his job when he decided to run for sheriff, but throughout his years, he’s seen each part of the process.

“About every aspect of crime, at some point in time, I’ve had to deal with,” he said. “And I still have a lot to learn.”

As sheriff, Hauf said, his job is to look after Payne County and ensure the laws are followed.

“Basically preserving peace throughout the whole county,” he said. “And then enforce all the laws of Oklahoma.”

Another major aspect of his job will be maintaining the new jail when it opens, which is scheduled for the end of February. The sheriff’s office will move into the new facility after its completion.

Hauf said he is glad to get the opportunity to be Payne County’s sheriff.

“I thank the citizens of Payne County for electing me into this position,” he said. “I look forward to serving them for the next four years.”

     

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