Shrum Prefers ‘Community Policing’ for Sheriff’s Office

(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles based on the Free Range Conversation podcasts the Herald will be conducting with candidates for Cleveland County Sheriff and Cleveland County Judge. Our intentions are to interview each of the candidates before the March 3 primary election.)RISON - The 2026 Republican primary for Cleveland County Sheriff marks a historic shift for the county. For the first time in decades, the seat will be vacant as long-time Sheriff Jack Rogers will retire at the end of this year. In the latest edition of the Free Range Conversations podcast, candidate Keden Shrum sat down to discuss his background, his philosophy of “community policing,” and his plans for the department’s future should he win the March 3 election.Shrum joins podcast hosts Britt Talent, Douglas Boultinghouse and Roy Phillips for the episode, which is streaming now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Cleveland County Herald.comAdditional episodes with sheriff candidates Lee Freeman and Brad Young are expected to follow, as well as with County Judge candidates Jim Houston, Stephen McClellan, Rosemary Sinclair and Rickey Spencer.Since there are no other candidates running for those offices, it will be a “winner take all” scenario for whoever comes out on top in the March 3 primary.A Background in Service and FaithOriginally from Mineral Wells, Texas, and raised in Oklahoma, Shrum said his life has been defined by two pillars: law enforcement and ministry. The son of a preacher and police officer, Shrum entered the field at age 14 through the Police Explorer program, which is a youth initiative designed to introduce young people, typically ages 14 to 21, to careers in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.After rising to the rank of lieutenant with the Wagner County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma—where he worked as a jailer, dispatcher, and deputy—he ev...