At the top of my priority list as your next Sheriff are four guiding standards: transparency, integrity, training, and supervision. 

I believe that transparency and integrity should be the foundation of the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office. I will not be afraid to share our mistakes, as well as our accomplishments, with the communities we serve.  Transparency is essential to building trust with our community. By building an honest relationship with the citizens of Kiowa County, we can increase and gain back trust in law enforcement. 

I will be a fulltime Sheriff and available to the community day or night.  We are a small enough community that I believe that is essential and a service that is not difficult to provide. You should trust your Sheriff and know that when called upon she will answer.  Most of you have my personal contact number, and my work number will be available as well after the election. My door is always open.

While some say my age might be a disadvantage, I argue that a younger sheriff brings a more energetic and focused team. I look forward to bringing new energy and ideas to the table. I have a passion for my career field, and I have found my calling.  Not only that, but I also want what is best for the community that I was raised in and continue to raise my children in.  

What about experience?  Well, I am already well aware of how law enforcement has been evolving and the laws, bills and policies that are required NOW. I started as an office deputy and worked my way up through each rank.  It is important for leaders to know how to do every job underneath them.  Also, while working in the office I was trained to work the budget.  YOUR TAX DOLLARS!  We need a conservative spender who is in charge of the budget and knows what is going on. 

There won’t be a lapse or a learning curve when the new Sheriff takes over due to the knowledge and training that I have received.  Also, I am the candidate that has the backing from the previous sheriffs. Although I feel confident in my abilities to be your Sheriff, if I should need any assistance, they are a phone call away.  I will have an advisory board of previous sheriffs that I can bounce ideas off of, and this includes Sheriff Frazee and previous Sheriff Sheridan and previous Sheriff Watts.

I believe that collaboration, teamwork, and strategic partnerships are the keys to making Kiowa County a better, safer community. I will encourage more collaboration between the Sheriff’s Office and our commissioners, District Attorney’s Office, courts, first responders, surrounding law enforcement agencies, schools, churches, and community organizations that will result in productive relationships, forward-thinking initiatives, and positive outcomes for everyone in Kiowa County. This is the tactic we must take in order to tackle mental health, the drug crisis, school safety, and other critical issues we are facing as a community.

We lack emergency response training for many of our organizations in Kiowa County. As change begins to progress and we have hindsight, we are seeing that there is a lot we should be doing that has not been getting done.  The excuses are usually we are rural and don’t have the manpower, funding, volunteers, or trained instructors to stay up to date on most of this.  The world is evolving, and we need to keep up with it regardless.  Collaborating with all of the agencies and pooling our resources and funding will provide more opportunities and only benefit Kiowa County as a whole.  I have started to build that bridge with many of the organizations, and I look forward to continuing to build that bridge until we are a well-oiled machine and prepared for any event or disaster that comes our way.  We can often cross train with multiple organizations and that alone will make up for the excuses as to why we aren’t staying up to date. We do not want tragedies to hit our county and to not be prepared.  As the pressures and demands on law enforcement evolve, we must continually strive to do more to support our communities and reach out to the citizens of Kiowa County.

I really have enjoyed talking to everyone and greatly appreciate the support that I have been given.  I have had great conversations with many of the citizens.  If I missed you and you only received a flyer, I would like to reiterate that if you have questions or comments, you can always reach me at my email electmurdockforsheriff@gmail.com or phone 719-688-7989. 

The time is ticking down quickly to the primary election, and I wanted to take the time to remind everyone that your ballots came in the mail last week. If you are a Republican or unaffiliated, you can vote for Kiowa County Sheriff on the back of your ballot!  They are due back by 7PM on June 28th.  No matter who you vote for – make sure that your voice is heard. 

Thank you for your support and don’t forget to vote!

Kayla Murdock

Candidate for Kiowa County Sheriff