Hickox announces candidacy for sheriff
Thomas “Wild Bill” Hickox, a Republican, announces his candidacy for Garland County sheriff.
He has been in law enforcement for more than 35 years and worked as a police officer, deputy sheriff, officer in charge, detective, Drug Task Force member, sergeant, chief of regional police operat i o n s , chief of investigations, chief of police, and police academy instructor.
Hickox has also worked for a three- man police department, a 3,000- man sheriff ’ s office, and a city with the highest crime rate per capita in the state. He has worked in law enforcement overseas with the U. S. Department of State in the Republic of Haiti, with the U. S. Department of State and the U. S. Department of Justice in Bosnia I Herzegovina.
Hickox has also served with the United Nations International Police Task Force and the U. S. Department of Justice International Criminal Investigators Training Assistance Program.
He has investigated homicides in four countries and three states. He has attended police academies in three states and has about 2,000 hours of specialized training.
During his career, Hickox has been awarded 42 commendations and various awards. Awards include a medal of honor in 1979 for pulling two unconscious people from a burning vehicle, five United Nations medals from 1996 to 1999, nominated Detective of the Year by the Palm Beach Post 2002, Distinguished Valor Award in 2004 and Meritorious Award in 2008.
Hickox lives in Garland County with his wife, two sons and a daughter.
“As sheriff, I would like my deputies to look and act professional. I will get the jail staff out of blue jeans and put them in something that is comfort- able to wear yet functional, but still look professional,” he said.
“I will insist that the deputies deal with people in a professional manner. I will put more deputies on the streets where they are needed. I will make sure my deputies have the equipment they need to do their jobs, and the training they need to do their jobs better,” Hickox said.
“I have a goal of ridding Garland County and the state of methamphetamine. When you attend drug enforcement training, you learn to target the source. The source for methamphetamine is not the meth lab, it’s the drug store. I will work to make pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in meth, a prescription drug only. Other states that have done this have dropped their meth lab seizures by 90 percent,” he said.
“I want to get stricter penalties and stronger prosecution for people who commit crimes against the elderly. Crimes against the elderly have skyrocketed over the past two to three years. I also want to protect our elderly by getting in- home health care workers regulated by the state, just like RNS, LPNS and CNAS,” he said.
Hickox said his police career has been “somewhat nontraditional.”
“I have not just worked for one or two police departments. I have worked for police departments, sheriff’s offices, and several governmental agencies. No matter where I have worked, I have always tried to work hard and learn as much as I can,” he said.
“I have been a police chief of a 51- man police department with 23 civilian employees. I know police work, I know supervision, and I know administration. With the training and experience I have acquired comes the knowledge and ability to run the Garland County Sheriff’s office in a professional manner.
“My motto is ‘ Working together for a safer Garland County.’”