SHERIFF PATTEN

A native of Adams County, Mississippi, Sheriff Travis Patten is a dedicated, decorated public servant. Elected in 2016 as the youngest sheriff in the history of Adams County and the first African American sheriff since Reconstruction, Sheriff Patten has strategically advanced the Adams County community.

After graduating from Natchez High School, Sheriff Patten began a military career in the United States Navy. His command leadership responsibilities included conducting safety training and patrol for 14 Damage Control-Man teams under his supervision, firefighting, standing watch, and a host of other duties. Following years of military service, Sheriff Patten and his family returned to Mississippi, and he began working with the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department as a criminal patrol deputy. He later joined the Natchez Police Department, where he served as a housing officer and patrolman from 2000 to 2004. During that period, he gained a reputation as a well-respected community servant whose just, ethical, and objective practice of law enforcement improved the Natchez Housing Authority Community. In 2004, Sheriff Patten transferred to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, where he served as a criminal deputy, certified k-9 officer, and metro narcotic agent on the special operations team.

Several years later, Sheriff Patten’s experience with the housing authority prompted a decision to work as a state-certified mortgage loan originator for Integrity Mortgage, LLC and Vision Development, LLC. He worked diligently in this role for eight years to better the lives of community members. Having now returned to law enforcement, he touches even more lives today.

Since his election, Sheriff Patten has fortified the Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), enacted sweeping departmental changes, and fostered an ethic of trust, transparency, and due diligence among Adams County citizens and law enforcement. Driven by a strong belief in community policing, corrections, and connections, he implemented a cross-pollination philosophy of “Consideration, Communication, and Collaboration.” This philosophy encourages officers, businesses, and citizens to work together to identify and execute long-term solutions for crime reduction/eradication, neighborhood decay, and increased quality of life for Adams County citizens.

To further serve the residents of Adams County, Sheriff Patten earned an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Jackson State University. He also completed Executive Level Management Education and Training at the National Sheriffs’ Institute and a Diversion Opioid Awareness Training facilitated by the United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration. Most recently, he graduated from the Department of Homeland Security’s Leadership Academy, making him the first sheriff in the state of Mississippi to complete such training. To learn more about his seven-part plan for the upcoming term, click here.

Sheriff Patten is happily married to Brittney West Patten, and they are blessed with a beautiful blended family. Together, they have three children: 20-year old Travis T. Patten (U.S. Army), 18-year-old Micaela Patten (JSU), and 13-year-old Anthony West.

  • • United States Navy Veteran
    • Member & Former President, Mississippi Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
    • Member, National Sheriffs’ Association
    • Member, Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Member, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association
    • Appointed, 2023 Executive Board, Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives
    • Appointed, 2022 Co-Chairman Youth & Juvenile Committee, National Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2022 All Sheriffs’ Authority Washington, DC
    • Appointed, 2022 Board Member, Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives for Region 3
    • Appointed, 2021 RADAR Board for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2021 Corrections and Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2021 Board on Jail Officers Standards and Training for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2021 Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2021 Legislative Committee for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2021 Mental Health Study Committee Advisory Council for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2020-2021 Chairman of the Chaplain’s Board for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Elected, 2020-2021 Chaplain for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2020 Corrections and Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force
    • Elected, 2019 Chaplain for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2019 Designee for the Wireless Communication Commission
    • Appointed, 3-year term, 2018 State Board of VOCA (Victims of Crime Act)
    • Appointed, 2018 Paramedic Advisory Board, Co-Lin, Natchez
    • Appointed, 2018 FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force
    • Appointed, 2018 Juvenile Justice Committee, National Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2018 National Leadership Council: “Fight Crime; Invest Kids”
    • Elected Masters of Arms, 2018 Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Member, 2018 Youth Advisory Committee, National Sheriffs’ Association
    • Member, 2017-2018 Legislative Committee for the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association
    • Appointed, 2016-2017 Law Enforcement Liaison Troop M, District 9
    • Member, National Society of Collegiate Scholars
    • Member, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
    • Deacon, New Hope M.B. Church

  • Having acquired nearly 2,000 hours of additional officer training, Sheriff Patten has successfully completed 57 courses and secured 48 different certifications, some of which include:
    • The Department of Homeland Security’s Leadership Academy Session 15
    • National Institute of Corrections / National Sheriffs’ Jail Administration Course
    • National Sheriffs’ Institute Executive Level Management Education and Training (2019, 2016)
    • United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration in Diversion Opioid Awareness Training
    • Human Diversity & Police Relations
    • Pipeline Emergency Response & Damage Prevention Training
    • Social Media Investigations Training
    • Executive Leadership Online Training
    • Interview and Interrogation
    • Leading By Example
    • National Sheriffs’ Association Annual Conference (2019, 2018, 2017)
    • National Sheriffs’ Association Winter Leg (2020, 2019)
    • MS Sheriffs’ Association Summer & Conferences (2018, 2017)
    • MS Law Enforcement Symposium
    • Firearms Training
    • ROCIC Spring Conference
    • MS Crime Stoppers Training Conference
    • MEMA 101
    • One Loud Voice Conference
    • NOBLE 76th Conference
    • NRA Law Enforcement Course
    • Criminal Intelligence Systems Operating Policies
    • Instructor Certificate
    • Level 1: Mechanical Advantage Subject Control
    • Level 2: Survival Force Reactionary Defense
    • Rapid Response to Active Shooter Training
    • Safeguarding Privacy, Civil Rights, & Civil Liberties
    • Task Force Commander Leadership
    • CF 101 Intro to Cyber Crime
    • Forensics Tool & Techniques
    • Forensics Tools & Techniques Training Workshop
    • Introduction to Cyber Crime
    • K-9 Drug Detection Dog Recertification & Enhancement
    • Baton Advanced Instructor Certification
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Criminal Interdiction
    • Motor Vehicle Interdiction
    • Narcotic Detection
    • PR-24 Instructor Certification
    • T-CAP/ Criminal Patrol
    • lntoxilyzer 5000
    • Patrol Officers Response to Street Drugs
    • Traffic Occupant Protection Strategies
    • Basic LE Course
    • LE Professional Certificate
    • O.C. (Oleoresin Capsicum) Aerosol Spray
    • PPCT Defensive Tactics System Basic Certification
    • Tactical Driving
    • Vehicular Speed Enforcement
    • Firearms Training

  • • Medgar Evers Freedom Award, Natchez Branch of NAACP
    • 2021 Certificate of Completion “Leading by Example”
    • 2020 NAACP Merit Award
    • 2019 Certificate of Honor for Service to the United States of America
    • 2019 Southwest Mississippi Sheriff’s Service Award
    • 2019 Natchez Housing Authority Youth Build Support Award
    • 2018 Top Supporting Law Enforcement Agency of the Year (ACSO), Mississippi Crime Stoppers
    • 2018 “50 Men of Distinction” Award
    • 2018 “Shining Star” Award, Natchez Early College: Co-Lin, Natchez
    • 2018 MDOT “Green Team” Award, District 7
    • 2018 Civil Servant of the Year Award, Natchez Juneteenth Heritage Foundation
    • 2017 New Program of the Year, Southwest Mississippi Regional Crime Stoppers
    • 2017 Youth Crime Stoppers Award for Southwest Mississippi
    • 2017 Humanitarian of the Year Award, Animal Advocacy Initiative of MS & MS Animal Rescue League
    • 2016 Most Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award, Copiah-Lincoln Community College