Undersheriff Fred McGuire retires today
In 2004, when newly- elected Okmulgee County Sheriff Eddy Rice was looking for an undersheriff, he said he wanted someone with integrity, someone who would be relatable for the community, someone he could rely on to help build the department, and someone with the moral fiber to hold the position.
“Fred checked all the boxes,” Rice says, when talking about Fred Mc-Guire.
McGuire has served as undersheriff alongside Rice for over 18 years now, but is bringing his law enforcement career to a close June 30 when he retires.
McGuire, who grew up in Kellyville, began his career in law enforcement in late 1989 as a dispatcher and reserve deputy for Creek County. While there, he received his Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) certification. In October 1992, he accepted a position with the Okmulgee County Sheriff ’s Office working for then-Sheriff Dayle James. He was there for seven and one-half years when he went to work for the Henryetta Police Department. He returned to the Sheriff ’s Office when Rice was elected.
McGuire says the responsibilities of an undersheriff differ from one department to the next, but in Okmulgee County “the undersheriff is the first person in the line of command under the sheriff.”
“In this department, it’s up to me to make sure the department has everything it needs to do the job,” he said in explanation.
He works closely with the other 15 sworn personnel, which include Rice, the chief deputy, and detectives, along with the two civilian personnel, who comprise the department. All are full-time employees who serve the more 36,700 residents of the county’s 10 communities and rural areas on a daily basis.
McGuire says he enjoys working with the sheriff ’s office and says in part that is because the sheriff ’s position is elected.
“I think being elected every four years keeps you honest,” he said. ‘We have to serve the citizens properly if we want to keep our jobs. We are held accountable for everything we do, and we want the taxpayers to feel we’ve done everything we could for them.”
McGuire’s interest and talent lies with the technology required by law enforcement today. He maintains the communications systems among other things for the sheriff ’s office, the jail, and the courthouse.
“The courthouse depends on Fred for its IT work,” Rice said. “They look to us as kind of the maintenance men for them. Fred retiring is a huge loss for the county.”
When he looks back on his 33 years in law enforcement, McGuire agrees technology has made a huge impact.
“When we took office in January 2005, the sheriff ’s office had just gotten cell phones. They were flip phones. I was old school and wondered why were we paying for these? But I quickly realized it was because our radios didn’t work everywhere. And (using the cell phones) we could talk with dispatch about things we needed to be discreet about and not put out across the air.”
He goes on to talk about the impact of advancing technology, adding deputies can now send photos and files, including sharing 911 calls, with deputies en route or on-site, which gets them needed information faster, helping them to do their jobs more effectively.
The department now has computers both in the office and in their vehicles. He says they also have more access to grant opportunities to help them acquire the computers. “That really helps with equipment.
“And God bless OSUIT,” he continues. “As they can, they make a donation of the computers they’re surplusing. We just have to put new hard-drives in them. They’ve been a huge benefit to our community.”
He says a Safe Oklahoma grant from the Attorney General’s office in 2019 helped the department purchase computers and stands for their vehicles. The department also now utilizes body cams that allow them to store footage, and tablets for the deputies which allows them access to their record management system.
Because of McGuire’s knowledge and experience with technology, he was invited to serve on the Offender Data Information System (ODIS) Advisory Board, shortly after it was formed. It is comprised of three representatives from Oklahoma sheriff’s departments, three from police departments, and one from a state agency. They do not set policy, but serve to advise, share and seek solutions to problems, obstacles, etc. experienced by law enforcement through the law enforcement records management application.
“ODIS has made things so much easier for field personnel, and I feel very privileged to serve on that advisory board,” he said of his 17year board membership.
Another change Mc-Guire has seen in his years in law enforcement is the vehicles being used. He says when he started in Okmulgee County, they were driving four brand new Ford Taurus cars that came with pursuit packages. Then Rice chose Dodge Chargers, and now they drive pick-up trucks and SUVs. He says he doesn’t know how the gas mileage compares between the Chargers and the trucks and SUVs, but feels the latter is better equipped to handle driving on county roads.
McGuire has also seen a change in how law enforcement is viewed by the public and as a career choice. “We have a less accepting society today. Not across the board; there are still a lot of people who want the interaction with law enforcement. But there is a growing number of people who are very distrustful of law enforcement, and I can understand that to a degree. They don’t know us; they know what they see on the news,” Mc-Guire says.
He has also noticed a decline in those choosing a career in law enforcement.
“I noticed a trend about the time of the O. J. Simpson case. The actions of L.A. officer Mark Furman started giving law enforcement in this part of the country a black eye. Interest in law enforcement as a career started dropping off. In more recent years, it’s a more drastic drop off,” he says.
But that has not affected how McGuire feels about his career in law enforcement.
“I’m very proud to be a deputy sheriff,” he says. “And I’m very appreciative to the citizens of Okmulgee County, and the county as a government has been very good to me.”
His relationship with Rice certainly plays a big part in his enjoyment of his career. It’s obvious these two men have great respect for each other, a good working relationship, and a genuine friendship.
Rice says many peace officers in McGuire’s position don’t stay long. They either move on, or are asked to leave. That’s not the case with Mc-Guire.
“He morally takes care of the county,” Rice said. “He is very well liked by the community. He always keeps me informed, and brought us out of Medieval times, you could say, because we didn’t really have any technology before Fred got here. We were behind times when we took office, but Fred’s knowledge and skill-set took care of that.
“We have mutual respect for each other, we raised our families together, our dogs are even from the same litter. But most importantly, we have the same goals, and the same commitment to our communities.”
McGuire says Rice always puts the citizens of Okmulgee County first.
“Let it be known, Eddy Rice never made a decision he didn’t consider the well-being of the citizenry. I mean, not once. He always considers what’s best for them. It’s my belief that’s what kept him in office all these years.
“He’s friendly, and will talk to anybody, I’ve seen it. Don’t go to Walmart with that man and expect to get in and out of there, It’s not gonna happen,” McGuire laughs.
Although McGuire is leaving the sheriff ’s office, he won’t be unemployed for long. In August, he will start working two days a week at the jail assisting with the IT needs. The rest of the time, he’s going to be enjoying time with his family. He and wife Amy have five children and 10 grandchildren.
He also has two You-Tube channels he hopes to grow. The first one is Okie Archeology (www. okie-adventure.com) which focuses on the histories of small Oklahoma towns, including the history of the Okmulgee County Courthouse, and the Okmulgee County Sheriff ’s Office. The second one is Ham Radio Crusader (www. hamradiolife. org) where he enjoys posting videos about ham radios and visiting with ham radio operators across the country.
As McGuire leaves the sheriff’s office, Chief Deputy Smokey Patchin has been tapped to be the new undersheriff. Henryetta Police Officer Robert Heath is retiring from the department in August and will be joining the sheriff ’s office as chief deputy.
Sheriff Rice says Mc-Guire will be honored at the weekly county commissioners meeting at 9 a.m. Monday, July 3 and then a reception will be held immediately following in the courtroom on the third floor of the courthouse. He invites the public to come and thank McGuire for his service and wish him well as he embarks on his next chapter.
“Fred is a big part of why I’ve been in office so long. He is loyal and has a strong moral character. I don’t know what we’re going to do without him,” Rice says of his friend.
