Lake County Sheriff's Office (Florida)

The Lake County Sheriff's Office is the largest law enforcement agency in Lake County, Florida, United States. Per the State of Florida Constitution, the sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. The current Sheriff is U.S. Marine Corps veteran Peyton C. Grinnell who was elected November, 2016 in the Lake County general election.[1] He succeeds Sheriff Gary Borders (d. Nov. 2021), who was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush following the death of Sheriff Chris Daniels in 2006, and was subsequently elected in 2008, and 2012. The agency has been awarded with a certificate of accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, consequently, both the Law Enforcement and Corrections divisions of the Lake County Sheriff's Office are now accredited.[2][3][4]

Lake County Sheriff's Office
AbbreviationLCSO
Agency overview
Annual budget$61,799,661 (2008)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionLake, Florida, United States
Size1,156 sq mi (2,990 km2).
Population325,875 (2015)
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersTavares, Florida, U.S.
Sworn members514
Unsworn members260
Agency executive
  • Peyton C. Grinnell, Sheriff
Facilities
Substations3
Jails1
Helicopters3 Ex-Army OH-58As
Website
http://www.lcso.org


Divisions[5]

edit

Law Enforcement Operations

  • Uniform Patrol Bureau (Road Patrol, Traffic Enforcement, Street Crimes Unit, Report Writers)
  • Criminal Investigations Bureau (Property Crimes, Missing Persons, Economic Crimes, Violent Crimes, Special Victims Unit, Crime Scene Investigations, Evidence, Fingerprints)
  • Special Investigations Bureau (Intelligence Unit, Sexual Offender Tracking Unit, Narcotics Unit, Homeland Security Unit, Cyber Crimes Unit, Felony Registration)

Criminal Justice Operations

  • Court Services Bureau (Court Deputies, Bailiff Unit, Building Security)
  • Detention Security Bureau (Detention Deputies, Building Security)
  • Support Services Bureau (Booking, Classification, Fugitive Extradition, Transportation)

Administrative Services

  • Emergency Management Bureau (Ag/Marine, Animal Enforcement Officers, Aviation, Emergency Management)
  • Special Services Bureau (9-1-1 Communications, Information Technology, School Resource Deputies, Radio/Electronics Shop, Juvenile Court Liaison, Criminal Justice Academy, Explorer Post 60, School Crossing Guards, Citizens On Patrol, Community Services)
  • Support Services Bureau (Civil Deputies, Property Section, Warrants, Fleet Maintenance, Records)

Specialty units

edit

Like many law enforcement agencies, the Lake County Sheriff's Office also has deputies with specialized training. These deputies perform their normal full-time jobs (road patrol, detectives, detention deputy, etc.) and perform one the specialty units as the needs call for. Some of the specialty units are:

  • Aviation Unit
  • Dive Team (Underwater Search and Recovery)
  • HDT (Hazardous Devices Team)
  • Honor Guard
  • Hostage Negotiations Team
  • K9 Unit
  • Marine Unit
  • Mounted Patrol and Posse
  • SWAT
  • Street Crimes Unit
  • Traffic Enforcement Unit (Motors Unit)

Previous Sheriffs (1887-2016)

edit
Name[6][7] Date
Gary S. Borders 2006-2016
Chris Daniels Sr. 2005-2006
Fred A.M. Cobb 2004
J.M. "Buddy" Phillips 2004
George E. Knupp Jr. 1989-2004
Noel E. Griffin Jr. 1981-1988
Malcom McCall 1977-1980
Guy C. Bliss 1973-1976
Frank Meech 1972
Willis V. McCall 1945-1972
Emil Yde 1944-1945
B.A. Cassidy* 1937-1944
W.B. Gibson 1933-1936
B.A Cassidy* 1921-1933
T.C. "Thad" Smyth 1913-1920
Henry E. Murhee 1909-1913
Jesse W. Hunter 1908
Henry E. Murhee 1905-1908
J.W. Northrup 1897-1905
John P. Galloway* 1887-1897
  • Sheriff B.A. Cassidy also served as interim Sheriff from 1908-1909[6]
  • Sheriff John P. Galloway also Served as Sheriff of Sumter County, Florida and later Marion County, Florida[7]

Misconduct

edit

In January 2011, Lieutenant C.J. Thompson bought a laptop computer with a department credit card. He then repaid the amount due from investigative funds. He resigned when he was caught.[8]

In July 2012, unnamed deputies were seeking a man suspected of murder. They went to the wrong apartment door at night and were met by an armed occupant who came out armed and was shot and killed. Drugs and Paraphernalia were found in the apartment. The deputies said they had not announced themselves as police as required by procedures.[9]

In January 2014, Deputy Matthew Donnelly was arrested for the sexual battery of a woman after placing her boyfriend in handcuffs in the back of his police car. A police spokesman said DNA evidence pointed to Donnelly.[10] The officer was fired shortly after his arrest.,[11][12] Donnelly was sentenced to 12 years in state prison.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Association, Florida Sheriffs. "Lake County: Sheriff Peyton C. Grinnell". Florida Sheriffs Association. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  2. ^ "Lake County Sheriff's Office-Accreditations". Lake County Sheriff's Office. 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  3. ^ "Corrections – Florida Accreditation". flaccreditation.org. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  4. ^ "Law Enforcement – Florida Accreditation". flaccreditation.org. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  5. ^ "LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE". www.lcso.org. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  6. ^ a b From Historical Sheriff's Office Display - Lake County Historical Museum, 317 W. Main St. Tavares, FL 32778
  7. ^ a b "Sheriff John P. Galloway by Bill Bond, Orlando Sentinel". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017.
  8. ^ Former Lake deputy arrested after confessing to paying for son's laptop with agency credit card, by Erica Rodriguez, 8 January 8, 2013 Orlando Sentinel
  9. ^ Deputies shoot, kill man after knocking on wrong door; FDLE looking into deputy-involved shooting 16 July 2012, WESH.com
  10. ^ Lake County deputy accused of sexually battering woman during traffic stop; Dash camera was turned off for 22 minutes, officials say, by Rikki Klaus, 23 January 2014, WESH.com
  11. ^ Lake County deputy charged with sexual battery to be fired; by Dave DeMarco, 23 January 2014, MyNews13.com accessed 22 November 2014
  12. ^ Trial continued for Lake County deputy accused of sexual battery; by Tyler Shepard, 27 October 2014, ClickOrlando.com accessed 22 November 2014
edit