Welcome to the Gray County Sheriff’s Office

Gray County, Kansas, was forged out of a deadly gun battle on January 12, 1889.  This battle over the county seat was like many such battles back in the day, with Ingalls and Cimarron both vying for the title.  Winning the county seat often meant building a courthouse, land offices, railroad access and other businesses resulting in the ultimate survival of the town.  Hired guns, one of which was the famous Bat Masterson, fought for Ingalls, while the townsfolk of Cimarron held their own.  One man died that day and, according to some reports, as many as seven men were injured.  After a lengthy court battle that ended with a ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court, the seat was awarded to Cimarron, where it remains in modern day Gray County.

Gray County is located in southwest Kansas between Ford County, county seat of Dodge City, and Finney County, county seat of Garden City, and encompasses 869 square miles of mostly farmland, feed yards, dairies and wide-open prairie grass.  According to the 2020 United States Census, there are a total of 2,150 households in Gray County, with seven people per square mile, the total population was 5,653, most of which resided in the county seat of Cimarron.

The 2020 United States Census reflects the average resident of Gray County must travel over sixteen minutes to work via county dirt or blacktop paved county roads, unless they are fortunate enough to travel on one of four state-maintained 2-lane highways, K23, K144, US50/US400 or US56.  The Kansas Department of Transportation is currently expanding US400 from a super 2-lane to a divided 4-lane highway from Dodge City to Cimarron with future plans to continue the expansion from Cimarron to Garden City to accommodate the increased traffic volume due to two large cities, Dodge City and Garden City, along with major industries, within 20 miles of the Gray County line.

With higher traffic volume comes increased strain on emergency services for traffic law violations. The rural communities of Copeland, Ensign, Ingalls and Montezuma are served by the Gray County Sheriff’s Office, along with contracting law enforcement services for the county seat, City of Cimarron.  The Sheriff’s Office staff is comprised of eleven full time officers, five part time officers, five dispatchers and two office personnel.

Gray County continues to move forward from that historic day in 1889, making the county a great place to live, work, visit, raise a family and live out retirement years.  The settlers of this county tucked away in southwest Kansas had a vision of what this open prairie could be one day.  Part of that vision is neighbors helping neighbors by answering the call when the tones drop.  This office will be here for many generations to answer the call.

Our mission is to:

• Provide the best in quality service to earn the highest respect and confidence from the citizens in Gray County.
• Provide public service through individual attention with empathy, integrity and professionalism.
• Identify areas in which public safety can be enhanced and maintain the trust of the community through honesty, compassion and fairness.
• Be leaders in the area of responsibility and accountability by exercising the maximum effort toward reaching the office’s mission.
• Treat all citizens and fellow employees in a fair and equitable manner without regard to race, gender, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation.
• Reduce crime, make roadways safe and aid the public in the most professional manner.
• Be conscious of how we manage our recourses and focus our activities with the greatest impact on the office’s priorities.
• Utilize the best available technology to meet the demands of its employees and citizens that they serve while maintaining fiscal accountability to those we serve.
• Adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. We respect the rights of all citizens and employees.
• Recognize our primary responsibility is the protection of life and property.
• Appreciate our differences and recognize that unique skills, knowledge and backgrounds bring strength to the community.
• Preserve the public peace, protect the rights of persons and property, prevent crime, and generally assist citizens in urgent situations.

As members of the Gray County Sheriff’s Office, we must constantly be cognizant of our future expectations.  We must work together, plan and strive for excellence realizing that the daily decisions that are made will reflect on the future of our office.