Walker files for re-election as sheriff

Published Sunday, December 23, 2007

By Brian Knox

Wise County Sheriff David Walker made it official Monday: he's running for re-election.

Walker was elected sheriff in 2004 as a Republican in his first run for elected office. He has worked for the department for 15 years, beginning as a dispatcher.

He said the thing he is proudest of in his three years as sheriff is the way his staff has come up with ways to save taxpayers money. As examples, he lists the warrant ad in the newspaper and housing inmates from outside the county. He said the department has also increased the number of inmate work crews.

Walker said the turnover rate of employees has also been greatly reduced over the past three years.

"It's dropped dramatically," he said. "Largely that's because of better pay for the past few years."

The department has added three patrol sergeants this year, allowing around-the-clock supervision, Walker said. Five patrol deputies have also been added over the past two years.

He credits the Wise Eyes program as being a very successful crime prevention tool. Not only does it assist the department by increasing the number of eyes on the streets, but it also has opened up relationships with other law enforcement agencies around the country, he said. Walker frequently travels to other states to speak about the program.

Walker said the department has also undergone technology upgrades over the past few years. Patrol cars are now equipped with computers, which allow deputies to remain in their precinct to write a report instead of having to come back to the Decatur office. The department also uses a reverse 911 system to help warn the public of tornados, evacuations and missing children.

On the issue of the animal shelter, Walker said he expects a new shelter will be finished or almost finished by the middle of 2008.

While he's proud of what has been accomplished over the past three years, there is room for improvement, he said.

"I think we've had good success over the last three years ... but we're not 100 percent satisfied with what we've done," he said. "There is always room for improvement. I think we can strive to do more."

He is quick to credit that success not to himself but to his staff.

"I credit our staff. They are the ones who get out there and work the hardest," he said.

Former sheriff Phil Ryan will serve as Walker's campaign treasurer.

Walker has drawn one opponent for the March primary, David Allen. Allen lost to Walker in the 2004 Republican primary.