New Mayes County sheriff takes office
BY RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2013
1/27/13 at 4:56 AM
PRYOR - Whether he's snapping a picture or pulling a trigger, Mike Reed is a first-rate shooter.
His picture of a sunrise over Lake Hudson, which won the grand prize in a telephone company photo contest, graces the cover of the Salina-Spavinaw phone book.
He is also a certified firearms instructor who has won his share of pistol-shooting contests.
But Reed's priority nowadays is serving the public. He took office this month as Mayes County's first new sheriff in 12 years.
"I'm young, and I'm green," said Reed, who replaces former Sheriff Frank Cantey, who opted against running for a fourth term. "I will get out there and direct traffic in the rain if I need to.
"But you hire good men and let them do their job. As a leader, in a lot of ways, I'm a water boy. My job is to get them the equipment and training so they can do their job better and more efficiently."
In a Democratic primary in June, Reed captured the office by beating two opponents and earning 57 percent of the vote. He selected former longtime Chouteau Police Chief Gary Shrum as his undersheriff.
"I think he will make a good sheriff," Pryor Police Chief Dennis Nichols said. "He has intentions to do good things."
Reed, 44, graduated from Locust Grove High School and studied political science at Rogers State University. He started in law enforcement as a reserve officer with the Chouteau Police Department in 1989.
Stints with the Pryor Police Department and the state's Wildlife Services division followed before Reed landed with the Mayes County Sheriff's Office as a deputy in 2008.
Dean Majors of Tulsa attended Locust Grove High School around the same time as Reed and worked on his campaign.
"When you're around Mike very much, you learn real quick he's going to do things the right way and he's not going to sell you short on effort," Majors said. "Any organization can benefit from that type of leadership."
Reed's first stay with the sheriff's office was brief. He said he was let go in late December 2010 when he said he planned to run against Cantey for sheriff.
Cantey, who eventually decided not to run for a fourth term, last week confirmed the reason for the firing.
Canvassing during his campaign, Reed said some voters were disappointed in how some law officers conducted themselves.
"It wasn't the drugs. It wasn't the crime," Reed said. "It was the lack of respect. The whole attitude was not as a servant. It was 'You owe me.'
"This is my home. I believe in this. It's time to go to work," he said.
"The people we put in leadership positions have to be aboveboard. They have to be men and women of integrity and professionalism. To be honest with you, I'm sick of seeing it not that way."
Original Print Headline: New Mayes County sheriff takes office, focuses on service
Rhett Morgan 918-581-8395
rhett.morgan@tulsaworld.com
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Reed
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