Deputy elected next sheriff

Deputy Shawn Stephens of the Independence County Sheriff’s Office has been elected the next sheriff of the county. Stephens, shown here with his K-9 Pike, said his goals for the sheriff’s office include bringing the morale back to the office, replacing high-mileage vehicles and restarting its narcotics division.
Deputy Shawn Stephens of the Independence County Sheriff’s Office has been elected the next sheriff of the county. Stephens, shown here with his K-9 Pike, said his goals for the sheriff’s office include bringing the morale back to the office, replacing high-mileage vehicles and restarting its narcotics division.

Deputy Shawn Stephens of the Independence County Sheriff’s Office said the county is full of “good neighbors” — the majority of whom voted for him to be the next sheriff.

Stephens will be sworn in at midnight Dec. 31, and his term will begin Jan. 1.

“We have a bunch of great people that live here,” Stephens said. “There’s hardly anybody that I know that doesn’t show appreciation to law enforcement and all your emergency services.”

Stephens said he first planned to run for sheriff in 2014 and began his campaign to do so in the summer of 2015.

“I wanted to work more than what I already am,” he said. “I wanted to work more for the citizens, upgrade the [sheriff’s office, provide] more training for officers, try to get more people on the street — really get the morale back in the [office] as it should be.”

Stephens, who lives in Pfeiffer in Independence County, began his journey in law enforcement in the early ’90s, when he participated in the county’s Explorer Program for those younger than 21.

“It was through the Independence County Sheriff’s Office,” he said. “It’s kind of like the Boy Scouts. You can ride with officers so you can know what the job is like. We did volunteer stuff to clean up the waterways in Arkansas. [It was] to get young people interested in law enforcement.”

He joined the Independence County office full time in 2007. Stephens said he most looks forward to his new role providing him a new opportunity for leadership.

“As a sheriff, I will be responsible for all the officers who work for the department and will be responsible for the jail and how it operates, whereas now, as deputy, I am responsible for myself and my K-9,” he said. “The sheriff is responsible for the entire county.”

Stephens’ first K-9 dog, a German shepherd named Pike, will eventually be reassigned to a new deputy. Pike is a narcotics dog who helps Stephens patrol schools in the Cedar Ridge School District in Newark. Stephens said he will miss having Pike around.

“It’s been a good experience,” he said. “There’s a bond between you and your dog, and we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. He’s with me all the time. He stays with me. I keep him at my house. When I’m working, we’re in that car together for 12 hours. He is a narcotics dog. He’s trained for the detection of narcotics.”

The experience of running for sheriff allowed Stephens to learn more about his community, even though he was born and raised in the county.

“I knew a lot of the people, but I met a lot of new people,” he said. “It was a good experience getting to meet the people that I didn’t know and reacquainting with the people that I haven’t seen in some time.”

Stephens said it was a challenge to both work full time as a deputy and make events and appearances that were a part of his campaign.

Stephens said he has many goals for the department, such as restarting its narcotics division, which was abolished in 2015, replacing high-mileage vehicles and purchasing new safety equipment, such as bullet-proof vests that are nearing expiration, and working closely with the Batesville Police Department.

“There are a lot of narcotics running through our county, and we need to decrease that drastically,” he said. “Naturally, we want to get the pay up for our employees, but that’s going to come with time as we get income back into the county. I would like to improve some of the equipment we currently have.”

Stephens said he was relieved and humbled when the election results came in.

“It was really humbling, finding that so many people in Independence County trusted in me to be their next sheriff,” he said.

Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.

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