Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel: The toy collector

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Oct 26, 2007 by Marie Price

Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel knew from the time he was a child that he wanted to be in law enforcement.

"I've literally had the opportunity to live my dream," said the former Choctaw police chief.

His motivation?

A Midwest City Police Department captain named Maurice Clark, a neighbor who would wave, honk his horn, hit his siren or stop his 1949 black-and-white Ford as he drove home from work, an acknowledgment young Whetsel waited for every day.

"I would wait out front either on the curb or in the front yard or on the porch waiting for him to come by," the sheriff said. "He became my hero. I wanted to be like Captain Clark from the time I was four years old."

His passion for all things law enforcement even dictated what cereals the family would buy - the ones with a plastic toy police car inside.

Speaking of which, over the years Whetsel has amassed more than 3,000 toy and model law enforcement vehicles.

They make up the centerpiece of a collection of similarly themed toys, motorcycles, helicopters and airplanes, as well as statues, commemorative pieces and other collectibles housed in his downtown Oklahoma City office. It extends to models of presidential cars and airplanes, firetrucks and other pieces.

Whetsel picks up some of his first toy police cars, which he made himself around the age of 6 or 7 by transforming plain vehicles with black-and-white paint, gold stars and red dots to simulate lights.

One of the oldest in his collection is a tin police car made in Korea, the kind with the friction wheels on the rear for revving up by future county sheriffs.

"That was one I actually played with," he said.

Whetsel said he hasn't paid much more than $200 for any one thing in the collection, although each piece is valuable to him.

He has several very detailed models that were made specifically as collectibles by certain companies, such as the Franklin Mint.

"There's a lot in here worth a lot of money, but I don't keep them based on value," Whetsel said.

The collection includes models of Oklahoma City police cruisers, Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department vehicles and Oklahoma Highway Patrol cars, as well as law enforcement vehicles from other states and countries.

Whetsel said companies such as Road Champs, Gear Box and Hawk make models of law enforcement vehicles based on pictures sent in by law enforcement agencies.

"Wherever I travel, to me, going into a toy store, that's important to me," he says, chuckling. "I try to bring back something from wherever I go."

Asked about items with special meaning, Whetsel mentions a model firetruck, police car and sheriff's vehicle made to memorialize the 1995 federal building bombing.

He said a humorous piece that includes a police car with funny figures inside is a particular favorite, an item he obtained in Washington, D.C.

"It had my name on it," Whetsel said.

The collection also includes a dragon-decorated Chinese watch and sword, as well as police caps and other foreign commemoratives from Whetsel's service as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a post that required travel to 17 countries and more than 30 states.

Whetsel also has several figures of eagles decorating his office. The sheriff's department patch features an eagle.

"The eagle has a freedom of its own and a majesty in the way it flies," he said.

University of Oklahoma footballs and related items are also prominently displayed.

Whetsel's wife Mitzi is an Oklahoma State University fan.

"We root for each other's teams until bedlam," he quips. "At bedlam, it's every person for themselves."

Whetsel, whose father was a minister, said he uses the story about the late Captain Clark as an example when he speaks to law enforcement groups.

"We never know who's watching," he said. "We never know what impact we're going to have on a little 4-year-old kid. I'm here today as sheriff because of a Midwest City police captain 50 years ago, who didn't know that a kid was watching him."