I would like to express my absolute appreciation for the honor of working in the office of the Twelfth District Attorney. I have much more to say than I could ever write, but I cannot depart without expressing a few thoughts.
I have been blessed to work for Matt Ballard for the last seven years. It’s hard to appreciate how intelligent and insightful Matt is until you office next door to him every day. Beyond that, he was so committed to the public safety of Rogers, Mayes, and Craig Counties along with the entirety of Oklahoma – it was inspiring to go to work each and every day.
The members of the office – prosecutors, civil attorneys, legal assistants, victim advocates, supervision officers, investigators, and everyone else – were across the board tremendous co-workers. Each one of them working toward protecting the public not out of an employment obligation, but a sincere desire to promote the public safety mission. I don’t know what we did to deserve such an incredible team, but they made my job so easy and incredibly enjoyable.
Before I worked for Matt, I was an OBN agent who made a lot of effort to work in District 12 because of the incredible law enforcement. I guess I knew that before, but getting to work with the officers, deputies, and troopers of our district made me appreciate them on a new level.
Thank you to every single person in the Twelfth District who made the last seven years of my career rewarding, fulfilling, and meaningful. I could never repay what these collective professionals have done for me.
I suppose I could sum up my experience in the Twelfth District with this thought. In my career, I have tried to ask a question to guide my efforts. Would I want myself as the prosecutor if I were the victim; as an officer, would I be happy with the investigation if I was the victim; as a supervisor, would I want to work for myself? Well, I have had an insider look at the public safety workings of Rogers, Mayes, and Craig Counties. So, should the people of the Twelfth District be absolutely thankful for the men and women protecting them and their families? Damn straight!
