Bio

My name is David Bufford. I am married to my wife, Maleah, who works for the Cabot School District as a School Psychology Specialist/Psychological Examiner. I am also a Christian, father, and papaw.

I was born in Batesville, Arkansas. My father was an Arkansas State Trooper who was shot and killed during a traffic stop a few only a month before I was born. After the trial of the man who killed my father, my family ultimately moved to Little Rock where I was raised.

I just turned 56 years old.

I started my Law Enforcement career in 1995 and have been active since. I did a two-year stint in Texas but wanted to come back home so I returned to Arkansas in 2000 and moved to Lonoke County in 2001. I worked at the Ward Police Department until 2003 when I went to work at the Sheriff’s Office. There, I worked my way through the ranks under both Sheriffs Roberson and Staley where ultimately, I obtained the rank of Captain. I retired from the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 and went back to work with the Ward PD as a Detective where I currently continue to work.

I have 30 years of experience in Law Enforcement. When I first began working for the Sheriff’s Office, I brought with me experience primarily with patrol, but also working in Detention and in serving civil service documents. From those experiences, my skills were broadened and developed to include patrol and field response work throughout Lonoke County, criminal investigations, and assisting in jail operations. My supervisory and command responsibilities over patrol, dispatch, street crimes, and Special Response Team (SRT) are several of the areas of knowledge and skills that I think will contribute largely to my work as Sheriff. Through my involvement with investigations whether it be from theft to homicides, I have developed a passion for investigating and holding criminals accountable for crimes against children as well as financial crimes against the elderly (not to minimalize any crime, however).

Training in law enforcement is essential. I am certified as a Senior Law Enforcement Officer. I am also a Law Enforcement Instructor and Firearms Instructor. Additionally, I am certified as a Crisis Negotiator. I believe that training our agency personnel, no matter their role, is crucial for being up to date in methods and technologies in law enforcement, for being able to handle spur of the moment actions, for working with special populations of people (those who have disabilities, children, and the elderly, for example), complying with legal and ethical standards, as well as in making sure that they have skills for day-to-day responsibilities, community relations, and safety. Again, training is vital.

I have debated with myself for several years about running for the office of Sheriff; however, I do not really consider myself a “politician”. With that being said, I fell in love with Lonoke County and the people who make this their home. I have devoted most of my career to serving the citizens of Lonoke County, and I think that I have done well in my previous positions. I feel led to, at the very least, give the citizens another option. I want to offer experienced leadership, and even though it may sound “cliche”, I truly have a desire to help the public and work to reduce crime.

In my 30 year career, I have always been passionate about serving and working with the public. I try to treat everyone, including arrestees, with dignity, respect, and fairness. As Sheriff, I will actively seek out the best candidates for employment and demand the highest quality of service from those employed there. I know that as being a former Captain, I have the unique qualifications and familiarity with Lonoke County to be able lead the Sheriff’s Office. One thing specifically I want is to advocate through the federal system for harsher sentences for child sex predators and to help remove dangerous offenders from our community. I want to work to ensure that everyone within the Sheriff’s Office has the training and equipment needed to accomplish our goals. I am a husband, father, and grandfather who wants our community to be a safer place in which to live making it better for the next generation!