| Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office | |
| Abbreviation | SCSO |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 26, 1772 |
| Employees | 100+ |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | County (US) of Shenandoah in the state of Virginia, USA |
| Map of Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 513 square miles (1,330 km2) |
| Population | 41,993 |
| Legal jurisdiction | Shenandoah County |
| Governing body | County (US) |
| Constituting instrument | Yes |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Woodstock, Virginia |
| Agency executive | Timothy C. Carter, Sheriff |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency servicing 41,993 people within 513 square miles (1,330 km2) of jurisdiction within Shenandoah County, VA.
Contents |
The SCSO was created on May 26, 1772 when the High Sheriff position was created. The main duty of the High Sheriff was to collect taxes.[1]
The agency is currently headed by Sheriff Timothy C. Carter. The SCSO has over 100 sworn and civilian staff.[2]
The SCSO was accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Accreditation Coalition on September 26, 2006.[3]
The Patrol Division Deputies patrol the County 24 hours a day 365 days a year. They respond to crimes in progress and assist citizens in distress. They also investigate crimes against persons and properties. While patroling Deputies perform security checks of business and residences as requested along with patroling trouble areas to eliminate problems. The enforce the traffic laws and proactively search for crimes in progess along with impaired and dangerous drivers to keep the roads safe. The Divisions also has a Narcotics Detector Canine at its disposal. Division Deputies have specialized training in crash investigation, commercial vehicle saftey inspections, criminal interdiction and serve on specialized units.[4]
The Sheriff's Office Investigators currently investigate all major crimes and when requested, will assist the local town police with major crime scenes. The Sheriff's Office can deploy several crime scene technicians and a mobile processing center (crime scene vehicle). This vehicle is able to provide a base of operations for the investigators and store the many tools used in the detection of crime and collection of evidence. The Investigators have many responsibilities that include case investigations, victim follow-ups, recovery of evidence, pre-trial and post trial interactions with victims. The nature of the crimes that are handled by this group are usually the worst, ranging from embezzlement to murder. They also provide expert assistance to the Patrol Division with evidence collection and surviellance. Investigators attend specialized and advanced trainings including the rigorous 9-week Virginia State Forensic Science Academy. Some Investigators also serve on a regional Drug Task Force and Gang Task Force.[5]
The County Jail is operated by the Sheriff and his Deputies. The Sheriff provides many services in the jail through various employees: Canteen (inmate store), Jail Nurse to keep hospital visits at a minimum thus reducing costs, substance abuse programs to keep inmates from re-offending, and transportation of inmates between other correctional facilities.[6]
The Sheriff also has a full-time staff to provide security for the courts and judges. Deputies also handle the movement of inmates to and from court and transport arrestees for booking or to other jurisdictions for incarceration.[7]
Tac Team Consists of members that are highly trained and well equipped to handle dangerous and hostile situations. They respond to barricaded persons, hostage incidents, serve high risk warrants and search for armed and dangerous suspects or fugitives. Some Team Members serve in specialized postions such as Negotiators, Sniper/Observers, Tactical Medics and Breachers.
Search and Rescue Team Team members respond to person that have become lost or gone missing due mental illness, medical problems or many other reasons. They attend training on navigation, wilderness survival, tracking, search techniques, evacuation of victims and managemnet of searches and are certifed through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. Members of the department also responded regionally to assist other agencies with searches when requested.
Honor Gaurd Members provide Funeral Honors to fallen and passed Deputies and other Law Enforcment Officers. They also serve as the "guardians of the colors" by displaying and escorting the national and state flags on ceremonial occasions.