Our Sheriff | Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Kurt C. Shirey is a longtime resident of Tecumseh, Oklahoma and also attended Tecumseh Public Schools. He began his law enforcement career with the Shawnee Police Department March 1977, graduating from the Council of Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) at the top of his class. He spent the first five years of his career at the Shawnee Police Department in the patrol division and three years as patrol supervisor. The remaining twenty years he served as detective sergeant in the investigation division. In the year 2002 Shawnee Mayor Chris Harden presented a resolution expressing appreciation to Kurt C. Shirey for over 25 years of loyal service to the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma, directing that said resolution be spread upon the official records of the City of Shawnee.

Sheriff Shirey became the sheriff of Pottawatomie County in the year 2002 when former Sheriff Weldon Cantrell retired and the Pottawatomie County Board of Commissioners appointed Shirey. Sheriff Shirey was elected for a two year term by the citizens of Pottawatomie County when a special election was held, the two years finished out Cantrell’s remaining two years of a four year term. In 2004 Sheriff Shirey was successfully re-elected by a land slide of support for a four year term. Sheriff Shirey has a total of thirty-one years of law enforcement experience.