Biography of Charles Haralson

George Haralson is the Chief Deputy of the Operations Division of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and is a 33-year veteran in law enforcement. Chief Haralson began his career as a patrol officer with the Joplin Missouri Police Department in August of 1973 and later as a Juvenile Crimes Detective. He left Joplin P.D. in September 1975 to accept a position with the Tulsa Police Department and graduated from the Tulsa Police Academy in December 1975, which was the beginning of 23 years of service with TPD. As a police officer, George worked in both the patrol and traffic divisions of the department. He was promoted to the rank of Corporal in January 1980, served a year as a patrol supervisor before he moved to the Detective Division and then quickly transferred to the Special Investigations Division, where he excelled in conducting undercover investigations in the areas of vice, narcotics, and organized crime. George was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1985 and remained in SID.

During his tenure with the police department, George created a pro-active nationwide program to investigate pedophiles and the sexual exploitation of children. He received the prestigious “Police Officer of the Year” award by the Oil Capital Chamber of Commerce in 1985 and was recognized as one of the top pedophile investigators in the country by the Department of Justice in 1987.

Under the supervision of Sgt. Haralson, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Gang Intervention Team and the Tulsa Police Department’s Organized Gang Unit were merged together with countywide jurisdiction. The new unit, known as “TARGET” (Tulsa Area Response Gang Enforcement Teams), was known for its proactive stance against gang violence and was effective in the prevention, intervention, and suppression of the street gang activity throughout Tulsa County.

George retired from the Tulsa Police Department on April 1, 1998, and began his employment with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office on the same day. As a Captain, he has served as a Watch Commander, held positions in the Services, Internal Affairs, Court Operations, and Detective Divisions. He was promoted to the rank of Chief Deputy in November 2003 and currently serves as the Operations Chief.

Portions of Chief Haralson’s decorated police career are well documented by the renowned author, Charles W. Sasser’s, Shoot to Kill, a collection of factual accounts about dedicated officers who have risked their lives in the line of duty. Chief Haralson has been awarded the “Medal for Valor” on two occasions. During his tenure with TPD, Haralson was also a Special Operations Team Negotiator for 12 years. As a negotiator, he dealt with over 100 barricaded situations, which included the safe release of 14 hostages.

In addition to a Bachelor’s Degree, he is a graduate of the 36th Management College, Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute and the 2005 Oklahoma Sheriff’s Administrative Officers Academy.