Lee County Sheriff's Office (Alabama)
Script error: No such module "Draft topics".
Script error: No such module "AfC topic".
| Lee County Sheriff's Office (Alabama) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1867–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Type | Law Enforcement |
| Operations jurisdiction | Lee County, Alabama |
| Headquarters | Opelika, Alabama, United States |
| Abbreviation | LCSO |
| Structure | |
| Total Employees | 185 |
| Sworn Deputies | 93 |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Sheriff Jay Jones |
| Notables | |
| Equipment | |
| Animals | Five K-9 Officers: Astro, Bear, Bella, Junior, Wesson |
| Website | |
| leecountysheriff.org | |
The Lee County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over Lee County, Alabama. They serve a population of over 174,000 people in an area of approximately 616 square miles (1,600 km2). There are currently 185 employees, 93 of which are sworn deputies.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office operates the Lee County Detention Center, which has space for up to 424 detainees. It is the only detention facility in Lee County and thus serves as the detention facility for all municipalities, including both the Auburn & Opelika Police Departments.This facility houses both pre-trial felony defendants as well as those convicted of misdemeanor offenses.
The current Sheriff is Sheriff Jay Jones, who has been in office since 1999.
Divisions[edit]
There are five main divisions within the Lee County Sheriff's Office: Administrative, Corrections, Court Security/Transport, Investigations, and Patrol. Each of the divisions has its own Captain that oversees that division's operations.
The Administrative Division includes communications (also known as dispatch) as well as clerks who provide public services such as finger printing, local background checks, and information about pistol permits. Civil process servers within this division are responsible for serving civil papers such as summons, eviction notices, and protection orders.
The Corrections Division oversees the Lee County Detention Center and all of the operations within the detention center. There are currently 55 deputies, four dietary kitchen staff, a physician, three nurses, two mental health psychotherapists, and four administrative assistants within the Corrections Division.
The Court Security/Transport Division is responsible for serving as security at the Lee County Justice Center including circuity, district, family, and probate courts as well as for the offices of the Lee County Circuit Clerk and District Attorney. They are also responsible for the safe transport of inmates, juvenile delinquents, and mental health patients as needed.
The Investigations Division uses information gathered from deputies, crime scenes, and eye-witness accounts to determine if a crime was committed, identify/apprehend a suspect, and present case files to the Lee County District Attorney's Office.
The Patrol Division is the one most typically recognized by citizens. This division consists of deputies, reserve deputies, school resource officers, K-9 division members, and SWAT team members.
School Resource Officers[edit]
LCSO's School Resource Officers provide coverage to all schools within the Lee County, AL, school system.
In August 2022, LCSO School Resource Officers garnered national attention on TikTok and Facebook for their back-to-school videos and photos. The agency created a TikTok account in hopes of creating another avenue to connect with members of their community. Sheriff Jones is quoted in an article from Opelika-Auburn News as saying “The attention is focused on school safety and protection, which of course is very important, but along with that comes the opportunity to do relationship building with our young people.” [1]
Every summer, LCSO's School Resource Officers host a Junior Deputy Academy, a week-long, hands-on day camp that allows community youth to learn about the different parts of being a deputy and see the inner-workings of LCSO[2].
Community Involvement[edit]
In April 2022, LCSO donated $3,765 to Relay for Life of Lee County, AL, which had been raised during a "No Shave November" campaign in November 2021.[3].
Current Sheriff[edit]
The current Sheriff at the Lee County Sheriff's Office is Jay Jones[4]. Jones was elected in 1998 and began serving as Sheriff in 1999. He is currently serving his fifth term. He has been a part of the Sheriff's Office staff since 1975, beginning as a corrections officer/communications operator within the Lee County Detention Center, and last serving as Chief Investigator in charge of the Investigations Division before being elected Sheriff. He currently serves as the President of the Alabama Sheriffs Association, having been inducted March 1, 2022[5][6]
Former Sheriffs of Lee County[edit]
- Herman Chapman: 1980 – 1999
- James C Pearson: 1969 – 1979
- W. Paul Ragsdale: 1963 – 1968
- Eugene E Lowe: 1947 – 1962
- W.A. Betts: 1943 – 1946
- W.J. Lynch: 1939 – 1942
- W. Emmett: 1935 – 1938
- W.S. Jones: 1931 – 1932
- W.A. Betts: 1927 – 1930
- John L. Moon: 1923 – 1926
- W.A. Betts: 1919 – 1922
- G.P. Butler: 1911 – 1918
- S.L. Moon: 1907 – 1910
- A.P. Hodge: 1903 – 1906
- George N. Hodge: 1900 – 1902
- W.B. Gibson: 1892 – 1899
- Thomas L. Gordon: 1884 – 1891
- Oswell Allright: 1880 – 1883
- H. Tate: 1877-1879
- A.A. Scott: 1876
- T.L. Samford: 1874 – 1875
- J.A.C. Parker: 1872 – 1873
- John R. Hubbard: 1871 – 1872
- J.R. Bailey: 1868 – 1870
- J.B. Ross: 1867 – 1868
Fallen Officers[edit]
Since the establishment of the Lee County Sheriff's Office, there have been two officers killed in the line of duty.
| Officer | End of Watch Date | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheriff W.S. "Buck" Jones | June 29, 1932 | Gunshot[7] | |
| Deputy James W. Anderson | September 24, 2009 | Struck by Vehicle[8] | |
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ ljohnson@oanow.com, LAUREN JOHNSON. "Watch now: Here's why Lee County SROs made a TikTok video to welcome back students". OANow.com. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
- ↑ ljohnson@oanow.com, LAUREN JOHNSON. "'Building positive relationships:' Lee County School Resource Officers host a deputy academy just for kids". OANow.com. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ↑ opelikaobserver. "Lee County Sheriff's Office Deputies Raise Over $3,500 for Lee County Relay for Life | The Observer". Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ↑ "Lee County Sheriff's Office". Retrieved May 18, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ opelikaobserver. "Jay Jones Inducted as President of Sheriff's Association | The Observer". Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ↑ "Message from the President | Alabama Sheriffs Association - Alabama". www.alabamasheriffs.com. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ↑ "Sheriff William S. "Buck" Jones". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ↑ "Deputy Sheriff James W. Anderson". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2022-05-18.
This article "Lee County Sheriff's Office (Alabama)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Lee County Sheriff's Office (Alabama). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
