Last week undersheriff Eddie G. Thomason called it quits, again. He will officially retired Nov. 30 after three and a half years with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.

“I really enjoyed it (working in Cleveland County) and really enjoyed the people here,” Thomason said.

Thomason has retired three other times.

He began his law enforcement career in Del City in 1961 for a short period of time. He worked 21 years in Midwest City and 13 for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Thomason spent a little more than 13 years with the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office and when John Whetsel won the sheriff’s race in 1996, he asked Thomason to be his chief deputy.

After six years, he took a little time off and then came to Cleveland County. Through 47 years and several departments, he has remained on the reserve staff.

The first thing he noticed when he came to Cleveland County was the lack of deputies in the rural areas. He realized the deputies were there, just not visible. He added some deputies and made sure their cars were well marked.

The problem he said he didn’t solve is still the lack of manpower.

“In my opinion, we’re not where we need to be,” he said. “People don’t understand that the sheriff is not only for the unincorporated areas of the county. It’s the entire county, elected by the entire county.”

The sheriff’s office also serves civil papers, victim protective orders and tax warrants.

In his tenure as undersheriff, County Treasurer Saundra DeSelms and her office have collected almost double the back taxes, he said.

Grandsons, ages 2 up to 11 years, have been neglected since Thomason has been in Cleveland County, he said, and he has not had a vacation. He plans on spending time with the grandsons, family and his wife, Loretta, through December and “just relax.”

In January he will start thinking about what to do next.

“I can’t sit still,” he said.

He’s not sure if he will continue with law enforcement, but he has a little over three years to make 50. Last May he and Loretta celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.