Charles Plummer (sheriff)

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Charles C. Plummer served as the sheriff of Alameda County, California from 1987 to 2007. He is believed to have been the longest serving peace officer in California with more than 50 years of continuous service. He is considered a "legend" by many in the law enforcement community.^{[citation needed]}

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) is a full service law enforcement agency. Currently, the office has over 1500 employees, both sworn and professional staff. The ACSO is organized into five divisions. Each division has responsibility for different public protection functions. The ACSO has numerous different work locations spread throughout the county.

Plummer worked to get the ACSO certified by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the American Correctional Association (ACA), National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) and the California Medical Association (MA). Three of these accreditations are known as the "Tripple Crown" and are considered a high honor in the law enforcement community. The ACSO is one of a handful of agencies to hold this distinction nationwide.

Plummer was a field commander for the Berkeley Police Department when riots erupted in People's Park in 1969. Prior to being elected as sheriff, he was the Chief of Police for Hayward, California.

Plummer officially retired 13 January 2007 after serving five terms as sheriff. Gregory J. Ahern, a 26 year veteran of the sheriff's office, was elected to succeed him. Plummer continued to work one or two days a week at the department's Office of Emergency Services as a sort of "sheriff emeritus."^[1]

On January 8, 2007, at his retirement ceremony celebrating 50-plus years in law enforcement, outgoing Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer remained unrepentant about his role as a Berkeley police officer during the People's Park riots:

"I wish I would have hit some people harder during the riots," said Plummer, speaking of the riots in Berkeley in the late-1960s. "I regret that."^[2]