Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder announces his intention to seek re-election to the office of Washington County Sheriff. He is announcing so early due to numerous people approaching him to express their disappointment since they heard he wasn't running for sheriff in the next election. Helder stated, "Rumor of my retirement has been greatly exaggerated!"
Helder was elected the 44th sheriff of Washington County on May 18, 2004, and is serving his sixth term as sheriff.
Helder began his law enforcement career in 1979 with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, working in communications as a dispatcher and later as a field deputy. In 1982, he was hired by the Fayetteville Police Department where he worked for 21 years until he retired as deputy chief. Helder returned to the Washington County Sheriff's Office as chief deputy for Sheriff Steve Whitmill in April 2003. Helder entered the race for sheriff after Whitmill accepted a position with Tyson Foods. He was subsequently elected, and began his first term on Jan. 1, 2005.
During his years of law enforcement, Helder has attended some of the most prestigious training available. Probably the most notable was the FBI National Academy, a 10-week training course for police administrators from across the globe.
He graduated from West Fork High School in 1976, and resides in West Fork with his wife Holly. His oldest son, Nolan, recently entered the ministry and is serving at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Headland, Ala. Son Clay, 24, is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and is the praise and worship leader at Christian Life Cathedral (The Link). Daughter Karli, 21, is a senior at the University of Arkansas, majoring in Event Planning.
Helder is an active member of the First Baptist Church of West Fork and for the past 16 years was a member of the southern gospel group "The Gospel Echoes." He has been appointed by two governors (Governor Beebe and Governor Hutchinson) to serve on Criminal Justice Reform/Oversight Committees. He is past president of the Arkansas Sheriff's Association and is currently serving as chairman of Washington Regional Hospital Board of Directors. He is past Chair of the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and currently serves on the Board of Directors, which includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the city of Memphis, Tenn.
Since becoming Sheriff, Helder has undertaken the responsibility of managing the detention facility, which houses a maximum of 710 detainees. Along with the facility's opening in 2005, the Sheriff's Office recruited and hired 85 new employees. Currently, more than 300 employees work for Washington County Sheriff's Office. Additionally, patrol services have increased by adding field deputies and using state and federal funds, which allows the Sheriff's Office to add extra deputies in the rural communities. Through similar grant funding and sharing resources with federal and local law enforcement, the Washington County Sheriff's Office has taken the lead in technology, training and facilities.
"I would like to thank everyone for the support given to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. It has been a pleasure to serve as Sheriff of Washington County and I look forward to serving you in the upcoming years," stated Helder.
General News on 07/22/2015