𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗙: 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡 𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗘

The Office of Sheriff is one of the oldest continuing institutions of public service in the world.

Its origins reach back more than 1,000 years to Anglo-Saxon England. The country was divided into areas known as “shires,” and each shire had a “reeve” responsible for preserving the peace and enforcing the law. Over time, “shire-reeve” became the word we know today: Sheriff.

When the office came to America, an important change occurred. Instead of being appointed by a king, Sheriffs would largely be elected by—and directly accountable to—the people.

Today, there are 3,081 sheriffs across the United States. Most are elected by the citizens of their counties or parishes, making the Sheriff one of the most direct connections between the people and their government.

𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗪𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗬𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗

The word “Sheriff” often suggests an Old West lawman wearing a star-shaped badge and facing an outlaw on a dusty street.

Some of that image comes from real history. Pat Garrett served as Sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico, and became famous for pursuing Billy the Kid. Bat Masterson was elected Sheriff of Ford County, Kansas, in 1877 by only three votes.

Oklahoma had its own legendary lawmen. Bill Tilghman served as a deputy U.S. marshal before being elected Sheriff of Lincoln County in 1900. He pursued some of the territory’s most dangerous outlaws and later worked to preserve the history of Oklahoma’s frontier lawmen.

Hollywood made that image even larger. John Wayne portrayed strong and determined Western lawmen, including Sheriff John T. Chance in Rio Bravo. Those characters represented courage, independence, and an unwillingness to retreat when others were in danger.

But the real Office of Sheriff has always involved more than gunfights and horseback pursuits.

Sheriffs were responsible for keeping prisoners, serving court papers, investigating crimes, organizing posses, and maintaining the peace across enormous territories. They depended upon deputies, local citizens, and neighboring lawmen to accomplish that mission.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗙 𝗜𝗡 𝗢𝗞𝗟𝗔𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗔

Oklahoma’s Constitution established an elected Sheriff in every county when Oklahoma became a state in 1907.

The Sheriff serves as the county’s chief law-enforcement officer. The office is responsible for preserving the peace, protecting life and property, investigating crimes, apprehending wanted individuals, serving court orders, operating the county jail, transporting prisoners, and providing courthouse security. Modern Sheriff’s offices also protect schools, respond to emergencies, and work with municipal, tribal, state and federal agencies.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Osage County was created at statehood in 1907, and John Lyman Bird became our first Sheriff.

Those early Sheriffs served a rugged and widely scattered county with few roads, limited manpower and little reliable communication. They traveled by horseback and early automobiles, delivered handwritten warrants and relied heavily upon the trust and cooperation of local citizens.

Like other frontier lawmen, Osage County’s early sheriffs faced cattle thieves, bootleggers, bank robbers, murders and other violent criminals. They also performed the quieter duties that rarely made newspaper headlines—guarding prisoners, serving court papers, finding missing people and assisting families during difficult times.

The tools have changed considerably since Sheriff Bird first wore the badge.
Horses gave way to patrol vehicles. Handwritten messages were replaced by radios, computers and modern dispatch systems. Paper files were joined by body-worn cameras, digital evidence, DNA testing and advanced investigative technology.

Today, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office serves more than 2,300 square miles—the largest county in Oklahoma by area. Our responsibilities include patrol, criminal investigations, detention, courthouse security, school resource officers, emergency response, inmate transportation, civil process and community programs.

We serve within the boundaries of the Osage Nation Reservation and work alongside municipal, tribal, state and federal partners to protect everyone who calls Osage County home.

From Sheriff John Lyman Bird in 1907, through longtime Sheriff George Wayman—who helped organize the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association—to the men and women serving today, every generation has carried forward the same responsibility. The modern Sheriff may drive a patrol vehicle instead of riding a horse and review digital evidence instead of following tracks across the prairie, but the duty behind the badge remains much the same.

Hollywood gave us the image of John Wayne standing alone in the street.
History teaches us that the real strength of a sheriff comes from standing with the people.

The Sheriff is still chosen by the people.

The Sheriff still answers to the people.

And the mission remains to serve and protect the people—with integrity, fairness, courage and respect.

It is an honor to continue this centuries-old tradition and to serve as your Osage County Sheriff.

— Sheriff Bart Perrier … See MoreSee Less

𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓

This month, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office is proud to recognize Investigator Brett Barnett, one of our longest continuously serving employees and a lawman whose career with OCSO now spans more than two decades.

Long before wearing a badge, Brett grew up around ranching and agriculture in northwestern Osage County and southern Kansas. He graduated from Dexter High School in Dexter, Kansas, in 1978, and those rural roots would later serve him well investigating crimes throughout Osage County.

Brett began his law enforcement career with the Osage County Sheriff’s Office as a Reserve Deputy in 2002. He later worked as a part-time deputy before beginning his full-time career with OCSO in February 2004 as a Patrol Deputy.

Since then, Brett has served under five Osage County Sheriffs—Sheriff Russell Cottle, Sheriff Wes Penland, Sheriff Ty Koch, Sheriff Eddie Virden, and Sheriff Bart Perrier—and has accumulated more than 1,500 hours of CLEET training.

Brett entered law enforcement during an especially challenging period in Oklahoma's battle with methamphetamine. Meth labs were a frequent occurrence, and Osage County deputies routinely encountered clandestine labs, dangerous chemicals, drug trafficking, and the property crimes that often accompanied the drug trade.

Brett quickly developed a knack for drug investigations.

In 2005, after serving on patrol, Brett was assigned to the District 10 Drug Task Force, putting him on the front lines of narcotics enforcement during the height of Oklahoma's meth-lab era.

He eventually returned to the Patrol Division, where he served as a shift deputy and continued advancing through the ranks. Brett was promoted to Corporal in 2007 and later to Sergeant, a position he held for many years while helping supervise and mentor other deputies.

In 2022, Brett transitioned full time into the Criminal Investigations Division, where his experience and instincts have proven especially valuable in an area of law enforcement he has always enjoyed—property crime investigations.

As Brett puts it, he loves working property cases, although years ago, “it used to be the hunt for a fat sack of dope.”

That same drive to find the evidence, identify the suspect, and put the pieces of a case together remains with him today.

“Brett is one of the most active employees we have. He brings more than two decades of experience to the job, but he still has the drive to get out there, work cases, find stolen property, and catch the people responsible. The Sheriff’s Office is lucky to have him.” — Sheriff Bart Perrier

From the meth-lab days of the early 2000s to today's complex property, drug, and criminal investigations, Brett has spent more than two decades serving the citizens of Osage County.

His knowledge of the county, investigative instincts, work ethic, and years of experience make him an invaluable part of the Osage County Sheriff’s Office.

Please join us in recognizing Investigator Brett Barnett and thanking him for more than 20 years of dedicated service to the Osage County Sheriff’s Office and the citizens of Osage County.

#EmployeeHighlight #OCSO #OsageCounty #CriminalInvestigations #LawEnforcement #BehindTheBadge … See MoreSee Less