Meet Joshua Ray

Proven Leadership. Conservative Values. Professional Policing.

I am the elected Sheriff of Guadalupe County, Texas, and a retired Texas Ranger. I am a conservative Republican, a committed Christian, and a steadfast advocate for professional, constitutional law enforcement.

I am fully committed to advancing the capabilities, resources, and professionalism of the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office. Our county has experienced unprecedented growth, and meeting the challenges of the future will require proven leadership, experience, and vision.

As Sheriff, I will continue to embrace modern policing strategies, leverage advanced technology, strengthen and expand training standards, and build strategic partnerships with surrounding law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders. At the same time, I will maintain high expectations and hold every Sheriff’s Office employee strictly accountable.

This strategy has served our county well during my first term. We have raised standards, strengthened operations, and reinforced a culture of excellence. I will continue pushing our personnel to strive for the highest level of professionalism and performance in everything we do — because the citizens of Guadalupe County deserve nothing less.

Early Years & Service

I was born and raised in Paris, Texas, and was blessed to later build our family’s roots in Guadalupe County, Texas, where my wife, Janel, has deep family ties in Seguin and the surrounding San Marcos area. We have been married for over 25 years and are proud parents of three children — our oldest daughter attends college in Denton, our son serves on active duty in the United States Air Force, and our youngest is still at home.

Service was instilled in me at an early age by my father, a Vietnam-era veteran and Texas DPS State Trooper. After high school, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (1996–2000) as a Military Policeman. I was selected to serve with HMX-1, the Presidential Helicopter Squadron, stationed in Quantico, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. I traveled worldwide providing security for the President of the United States and later supervised and coordinated those security operations.

Law Enforcement Career & Academic Qualifications

Following my military service, I joined the Texas Department of Public Safety and served 13 years as a Texas Highway Patrol State Trooper. In addition to patrol duties, I worked as a K-9 handler and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Trooper, and deployed for hurricane relief and border security operations.

In 2013, I was promoted to Special Agent in the Criminal Investigation Division, assigned to the Texas Capitol Complex in Austin. I worked undercover in counter-surveillance operations, investigated criminal offenses, provided dignitary protection, and became a certified crisis/hostage negotiator.

In 2015, I was selected to serve as a Texas Ranger. Assigned first to Bryan/College Station and later to New Braunfels, I led and conducted complex investigations involving homicide, violent crime, public corruption, officer-involved shootings, and major felony offenses. I specialized in violent crime and cold case investigations, served as a Crisis Negotiation Team Leader, and helped safely resolve several life-threatening incidents. I also deployed during Hurricane Harvey to assist with rescue and security operations. I retired from the Rangers in 2022.

Sheriff Ray earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Texas A&M University-Commerce. He holds a Master of Science in Investigations from the University of New Haven in Connecticut and is currently pursuing an Education Doctorate in Leadership Studies at Louisiana State University-Shreveport.

Leadership at the Sheriff’s Office

In October 2022, I was appointed Chief Deputy of the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, overseeing all divisions, including Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, SWAT, Crisis Negotiation, Administration, Communications (911), Animal Control, Civil Process, and the Adult Detention Facility.

Since being elected Sheriff, I have focused on raising standards, increasing accountability, and modernizing operations. Under my leadership, we have:

  • Aggressively pursued and arrested child predators

  • Increased major drug seizures and targeted narcotics traffickers

  • Implemented intelligence-led policing strategies to disrupt repeat offenders

  • Expanded advanced training for deputies and command staff

  • Launched the first-ever Sheriff’s Citizen Academy

  • Increased transparency and public engagement across the county

  • Restructured the Sheriff’s Office into four major divisions, streamlining effective communication

  • Modernized and invested in essential equipment and tools such as non-lethal weapons, in-car computer systems, better camera systems, a new and improved computerized aided dispatch, firearms optic sights, and rebranded the office with modern uniforms and vehicle markings

Guadalupe County is growing rapidly, and strong, experienced leadership is essential. I remain committed to professional, constitutional law enforcement and to ensuring the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office strive for excellence in everything we do.

It is an honor to serve as your Sheriff — and I look forward to continuing to protect and serve the citizens of Guadalupe County.