Chanze Fowler for Sheriff

06/18/2026

Our thoughts and prayers are with Trooper Romero’s family and his DPS family. 💔

06/03/2026

I was out during Law Enforcement Appreciation Week so we made up for it today. Lunch and dessert was provided to Hartley County Sheriff’s office as a thank you for their hard work and commitment to the citizens of Hartley County. We also welcomed Hartley County’s newest Deputy, Matthew Koval and some of his family. Welcome to the team Matt, so glad you’re here!!

06/02/2026

Burn ban lifted. Having said that please be mindful of the weather conditions and definitely do not burn on windy days.

With recent rainfall and forecast for beneficial rain this week Hartley County is lifting the Burn Ban. If you are going to have a controlled burn please be mindful of the wind speed. Also before you burn you must call Dalhart Dispatch at (806)244-5544 and state your name and where the fire is going to be located. Thank you for your cooperation and be safe.

05/25/2026

I look at this picture every year on Memorial Day and the older I get, the more deeply I feel it.

- The freedom to publicly preach Christ
- The children I'll laugh with today
- The vacation I will enjoy with Jana later this summer
- The life we've been blessed to build together
.. all enabled by young men and women who did not get to enjoy them, so that you and I could.

And they were YOUNG. Ronald Reagan put this in striking perspective:

“It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country, in defense of us, in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives—the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for our country, for us. And all we can do is remember.”

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every family who sacrificed a loved one so that we could enjoy our loved ones today.

"Greater love has no man than this; that someone lay down his life for his friends."
– John 15:3

05/19/2026

Last year, Austin made the decision to turn off its Flock camera network following a public pressure campaign built on misinformation about how the technology works. This weekend showed what that tradeoff can look like.

For nearly 24 hours, three suspects moved through Austin in stolen vehicles, carrying out a shooting spree across 12 separate locations. People were shot. Homes, apartment buildings, businesses, and fire stations were hit. Robberies and additional car thefts piled up as the suspects kept moving.

The response was massive. 200 officers, helicopter support, K9 units, a full manhunt. Even with all of that, the suspects stayed ahead of law enforcement. Then they crossed into Manor, Texas.

Manor is a city of roughly 20,000 residents with a fraction of Austin's resources. What Manor has is an active license plate recognition network and the community support to keep it running. Manor PD located the suspects almost immediately. The spree ended. Residents stayed safe.

We're grateful for the officers in both cities who worked to bring this to a close, and we're glad it's over. Austin is a great city full of people who deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods. Our hope is that stories like Manor's can help inform the conversation about what these tools actually do, and what communities lose when they're taken away.

05/15/2026

As this week draws to a close, I didn’t want it to pass without recognizing the hardest working agency in the area — the Hartley County Sheriff’s Office.

I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to treat y’all to food or gifts this week, but your dedication does not go unnoticed. The long hours, sacrifice, professionalism, and commitment you put in day in and day out deserve recognition and appreciation.

Thank you for protecting and serving our community with integrity, courage, and heart. Hartley County is fortunate to have each of you.

Happy Police Week 2026 — and thank you for all that you do.

05/08/2026

Hartley County Sheriff's Office is very appreciative.

05/07/2026

04/06/2026

The Hartley County Sheriff's Office was awarded a 2023 NRA grant, and we have now received all of our equipment. We would like to express our gratitude to the NRA Foundation for always coming through for us.

03/26/2026