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In September 1970, immediately after leaving the military, he  joined the Texas Department of Public Safety as a highway patrol officer. He then became a highway patrol officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety. He also worked with the sheriff's offices in Culberson and Presidio counties in southwestern Texas. In Alpine, Texas,  he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in police administration from Sul Ross State University, named for Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (1838-1898), the 19th [[governor]] of Texas. Painter worked too for the Midland Police Department until 1982, when he joined the Midland County sheriff's office. There he was assigned to the detention division and became a criminal investigator and a patrol lieutenant.<ref name=findagrave/>

In September 1970, immediately after leaving the military, he  joined the Texas Department of Public Safety as a highway patrol officer. He then became a highway patrol officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety. He also worked with the sheriff's offices in Culberson and Presidio counties in southwestern Texas. In Alpine, Texas,  he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in police administration from Sul Ross State University, named for Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (1838-1898), the 19th [[governor]] of Texas. Painter worked too for the Midland Police Department until 1982, when he joined the Midland County sheriff's office. There he was assigned to the detention division and became a criminal investigator and a patrol lieutenant.<ref name=findagrave/>

In 1984, he ran for sheriff Painter but almost missed being placed on the Republican primary ballot in May 1984. As he filed his completed paperwork of candidacy, county party chairman William Toler Shaner (1931-1999), the officer in charge of accepting the material, had left early, closed the office, and was at an [[oil]] field site some 170 miles from Midland. Though Painter got the material to Shaner, with the filing fee, by 8 p.m. on the night of the Friday deadline, his papers were declared invalid because they were not filed by 5 p.m. Painter went to court to get on the ballot; the judge decreed that Painter met all ballot qualifications; the absence of the party chairman made the 5 p.m. deadline impossible to uphold.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law.justia.com/cases/texas/supreme-court/1984/c-2862-0.html|title=Painter v. Shaner (1984)|publisher=law.justia.com|date=April 4, 1984|accessdate=June 25, 2020}}</ref>

In 1984, he ran for sheriff Painter but almost missed being placed on the Republican primary ballot in May 1984. As he filed his completed paperwork of candidacy, county party chairman William Toler Shaner (1931-1999), the officer in charge of accepting the material, had left early, closed the office, and was at an [[oil]] field site some 170 miles from Midland. Though Painter got the material to Shaner, with the filing fee, by 8 p.m. on the night of the Friday deadline, his papers were declared invalid because they were not filed by 5 p.m. Painter went to court to get on the ballot; the judge decreed that Painter met all ballot qualifications; the absence of the party chairman made the 5 p.m. deadline impossible to uphold.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law.justia.com/cases/texas/supreme-court/1984/c-2862-0.html|title=Painter v. Shaner|date=1984|publisher=law.justia.com|date=April 4, 1984|accessdate=June 26, 2020}}</ref>

In the 2008 Republican [[primary]] election, Painter scored 90.29 percent of the ballots cast over fellow Republican Joe D. Lozano, Sr.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mrt.com/top_stories/article_2b37f396-c3d0-5abd-9d0c-5bf802d77a4e.html#ixzz3DX5pJuDB|title=Midland County Sheriff Painter leads off filings for election to public office|publisher='The Midland Reporter-Telegram''|author=Kathleen Thurber|date=November 28, 2011|accessdate=June 26, 2020}}</ref> Eight years earlier, Lozano ran against Painter as an [[Independent voter|Independent]] in the 2000 [[general election]] and polled 18 percent of the vote.<ref>"Midlanders begin casting early ballots for November 5 election,"  ''Midland Reporter-Telegram,'' October 21, 2002.</ref>​

In the 2008 Republican [[primary]] election, Painter scored 90.29 percent of the ballots cast over fellow Republican Joe D. Lozano, Sr.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mrt.com/top_stories/article_2b37f396-c3d0-5abd-9d0c-5bf802d77a4e.html#ixzz3DX5pJuDB|title=Midland County Sheriff Painter leads off filings for election to public office|publisher='The Midland Reporter-Telegram''|author=Kathleen Thurber|date=November 28, 2011|accessdate=June 26, 2020}}</ref> Eight years earlier, Lozano ran against Painter as an [[Independent voter|Independent]] in the 2000 [[general election]] and polled 18 percent of the vote.<ref>"Midlanders begin casting early ballots for November 5 election,"  ''Midland Reporter-Telegram,'' October 21, 2002.</ref>​