Patti Buhl is a lifelong Tahlequah resident and a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Patti is married with a son and a three-legged cat named Salem. Patti is a former Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety (she retired in 2020 after twenty-six years in law enforcement). Patti is also the former Missing and Murdered Persons Coordinator for all three U.S. Attorney Districts in Oklahoma. Patti has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Northeastern State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.