Photo courtesy of Michael Praytor.
Ken Burchfield
Ken Burchfield, who’s in his 30th year in law enforcement, was named Chief Deputy for the Shelby County Sheriff’s office in September.
Ken Burchfield says he has been lucky in his career. In his 30th year in law enforcement, he was recently promoted from major to Chief Deputy of Shelby County and is second in command behind Sheriff John Samaniego.
A Samford graduate with a master’s degree from UAB, Burchfield began his career in 1989 with the Hoover Police Department. There, he was a member of the Special Response Team and DARE program, and also a firearms instructor, field training officer and investigator.
After 13 years, he left to take a position as a legal investigator for Birmingham law firm Burr & Forman, saying it was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse. When one of the managing partners split off, Burchfield went with him to the new firm.
However, he said police work gets in your blood, and while many people leave the profession, most come back. It was 2002 when he went back as a reserve deputy for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
“There's just something about it that other jobs do not fulfill,” he said. “The service aspect and camaraderie aspect with fellow law enforcement officers and the excitement that comes with it from time to time. Something draws most people back. The bug bites you hard and it’s something you can’t get rid of.”
In 2003, former Shelby County Sheriff Chris Curry hired has Burchfield as patrol deputy and the next year was named captain, where he spent four years running the Drug Task Force from 2004-08.
“When Sheriff Curry called me and said I want you to come be a part of my administration, I had to think about that. Something inside of me missed law enforcement, so I took him up on his offer,” he said.
Burchfield has no regrets getting back into law enforcement, saying he made the right choices for himself and his family.
From 2008-15, Burchfield served as Administrative Division Commander before being promoted to major eight years later. In that position, he led oversight for the Administrative and Jail divisions.
He transitioned seamlessly from one sheriff to the next, as Samaneigo took the position after Curry. Burchfield has known Samaniego since the early 1990s, while he was working with the West Alabama Narcotic Task Force and Samaniego with the Tuscaloosa Police Department. They first met while dove hunting, and later, Burchfield worked for him on a special project in Tuscaloosa for several months and the two became friends.
When Samaniego was elected in 2014, he promoted Burchfield to major, and in September 2019, promoted him to Chief Deputy. He said it is a humbling experience, along with the responsibility that comes with it.
“It’s difficult at times. I get stretched so many different directions, as I am responsible for having knowledge of all operations. I’m supposed to know everything that’s going on so I can make sure the sheriff knows,” he said.
Samaniego said Burchfield is one of the most talented people he has had the pleasure to work with during his 40-year career and that Burchfield believes in his philosophy of engaging citizens as their service provider and serving them as their customers.
“Chief Deputy Ken Burchfield has the education, training, experience and is a proven leader,” he said. “Together, he and I will continue leading this great group of men and women and provide the best law enforcement services possible.”
With 221 employees in the SCSO, Burchfield said there’s a lot to keep up with, but the department is blessed with a lot of very well-educated, dedicated employees who are driven, career-oriented, disciplined and professional. He said his favorite part of his job is seeing other people within the sheriff's office grow and reach their dreams.
“The men and women who work for sheriff's office know how to do their job,” he said. “The last thing they need is someone to tell them how to do their job. I just facilitate to get them the resources they need. The two questions I always ask at a major scene or event are ‘What can I do to help you?’ and ‘Is there anything you need that you don't have?’”
Burchfield lives in Columbiana, just minutes from his office. He has land and a pond and grows a garden each year. He also enjoys woodworking, and has made barstools, dough bowls and other items that his wife has found on Pinterest. However, he said is done with palette projects. Whenever he does retire, Burchfield wants to enjoy the farming lifestyle, raising cows, gardening and hunting.
Although he has 30 years invested in the system and could retire, Burchfield said he likes his work environment and the support he receives from the county commission and county manager.
“Not everyone gets to enjoy that,” he said. “I can't think of anywhere that would be better to work than where I work now.”