Raymond Hale, the county’s next undersheriff, is quite familiar with the area.
His family moved to Allen County when he was in fourth grade, when he attended Gas Elementary School. He graduated from Iola High School in 1989.
Even after that, he stayed relatively close to home.
He worked 25 years at the Chanute Police Department, retiring in July 2021 as the chief of police.
Hale tried something different after that but quickly discovered he missed law enforcement.
“I missed helping people,” he said.
Because of his proximity to Allen County, Hale knew Sheriff Bryan Murphy quite well in a professional capacity. Murphy called to tell him Undersheriff Roy Smith would soon be retiring. Was he interested in the job?
“I’ve worked with Murph before, but never in the same department. We all pitch in and help each other out,” Hale said.
“He has a good group here and I’m looking forward to continuing to develop those relationships.”
He started working with the Allen County Sheriff’s Department on May 9, training under Smith for several weeks.
Hale said he learned a lot about working with the public before he ever joined law enforcement, back when he worked at grocery stores.
“Customer service is very important. I enjoy interacting with people,” he said.
“You have to be willing to help people. That’s what makes the community better.”
