Bilbo Announces Run For Sheriff

October 5, 2015
     By Paul Joseph, Paragon News Director –
Current Beckham County Undersheriff Jeffrey Alan Bilbo has thrown his hat into the ring for Sheriff. 
The 49-year-old has been with the department since 2008 and as undersheriff since 2013.
Jeff was raised in Orange, Texas.  He attended both Lamar University and Texas Bible College in Houston, Texas where he studied theology and even became a youth pastor in Orange and an assistant pastor in Woodward, Oklahoma.
Bilbo says there’s a carry-over between the two career paths: theology and law enforcement.
But it was in Woodward where a started a career in law enforcement as he worked as a sergeant with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections in Fort Supply, Oklahoma.
Bilbo says he has the necessary qualifications and experience for the job.
In 1995 he attended the North Central Texas Police Academy in Arlington, Texas where he completed a 17 week police academy and started a career in law enforcement as a peace officer.  He has experience with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and as a patrolman for Dodge City, Kansas and as sergeant supervising a patrol shift at Elk City.  In ’05, he attended the Oklahoma Police Academy. 
In 2008, he became a deputy with Beckham County and has since worked hundreds of criminal investigations and has worked closely with all of the area police departments as well as The Drug Task Force and Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Bilbo says it’s the detective work that intrigues him and gets him out of bed every morning.  He loves to successfully investigate a mystery.
In 2013, Sheriff Scott Jay gave Jeff the opportunity to become Undersheriff at the Beckham County Sheriff’s Office.  During that time he has supervised the patrol division.  
Bilbo realizes that as sheriff, most of his time will be spent with more administrative work than investigation.
Bilbo’s father-in-law is retired sheriff Tom Shaffer of Major County, and another great Resource is his wife Diana Bilbo, who has been the Jail Administrator for Beckham County for 10 years.
Bilbo is quick to pay tribute to current Sheriff Jay and says the department is well respected throughout the state, but says he has a few ideas of his own, if elected.
Jeff wants an open door policy and wants the citizens to know they can come to him anytime.
Bilbo’s opponent in the Republican primary is recently announced candidate, Derek Manning, a retired state trooper and newspaper publisher.  The filing for sheriff starts in April and the primary is slated for June.
Sherriff Scott Jay recently announced he will not be seeking reelection after having served 16 years at the end of his current term.
 

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