On Monday, September 23, several gathered at the Hive to listen to guest speaker Chris West. Chris West is a fifth-generation Oklahoman with a long history of service in law enforcement. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, he spent 28 years with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety before becoming the elected sheriff of Canadian County in 2017. Over the course of his career, Sheriff West has accrued numerous certifications and awards, including being named the Sheriff of the Year in 2019. Sheriff West was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) in 2019, Secretary of the National Sheriffs Association in 2021, and elected to the office of 3rd Vice President of the National Sheriffs Association, where he represents over 3,000 Sheriffs and 14,000 NSA members from across the nation. As a Board Member of the National Sheriff’s Association, West is assigned to the NSA’s Homeland Security and Narcotics & Drug Interdiction Committees.ย
With his first-hand experience in border security, Sheriff West shared insights and firsthand accounts from his visits to Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Israel. He shared many photographs taken by him personally, which shed light on the myriad of challenges faced at the border, from the realities of human trafficking to the looming threats posed by drug cartels and potential terrorist infiltration into our country. Sheriff West’s presentation stressed the urgent need for vigilance and cooperation in maintaining the security of our borders.
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