“I love Mountain Home and Baxter County. As your Sheriff, I will continue to take my guiding principles and apply them to everything I do. You see, honesty, integrity, and professionalism are not three hollow words. They form the very cornerstone of what law enforcement must be.”

– Sheriff John Montgomery

Biography

Sheriff John Montgomery, 50, was born and raised in West Plains, Missouri. He has lived in Baxter County for twenty-seven years.

Professional Experience:

Prior to being elected Sheriff, Mr. Montgomery had fifteen years of experience with the Mountain Home Police Department (1988 to 2003), retiring with the rank of Lieutenant. During his tenure, Sheriff Montgomery received over 1,000 hours of police training and obtained the Senior Certificate, which is the highest level of police certification. He was decorated for “Service beyond the Call of Duty” from the City of Russellville, Arkansas and the “Meritorious Award” from the State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, for heroic actions in saving the life of a fellow police officer. Sheriff Montgomery created a very successful company, Montgomery Central Systems. He knows first-hand the importance of sound financial practices and operating on a budget, as well as the value of developing professional employees. He has taken his law enforcement experience and business experience and successfully applied those principles to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office.

Education:

Sheriff Montgomery holds the Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice degree from Arkansas State University – Mountain Home. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and was elected class speaker by the faculty and student body for the graduation ceremony. In 2006, Sheriff Montgomery was awarded the Outstanding Alumni of the Year by ASU Mountain Home. He is a 1977 graduate of West Plains High School in West Plains, Missouri.

Community Involvement:

Sheriff Montgomery serves on numerous boards, including the Northwest Arkansas Certified Workforce Development. He is very active in the Arkansas Sheriff’s Association, and currently serves as the chairman of the Legislative Committee. In 2006, he was awarded the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce’s President Award for outstanding community leadership. Sheriff Montgomery is a Mountain Home Rotarian and is a Paul Harris Fellow. He and his wife, Karen, serve as mentors in the Mountain Home High School Academy mentoring program.

We honor our badge; therefore we protect our citizens with courage, compassion, and equality.

We believe our mission is to serve; therefore we conduct ourselves with a servant-like attitude.

We value life and dignity; therefore we treat all persons with courtesy and respect.

We believe honesty is the basis of community trust; therefore we are honest and truthful.

We believe that cooperation and team work will enable us to achieve common goals; therefore we work as a team.

We value integrity; therefore we do what is right regardless of criticism or external pressure.