Alachua County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Sadie Darnell

Email: sheriffdarnell@alachuasheriff.org

Since being elected Alachua County Sheriff (ACSO) in November 2006, many changes have taken place at the ACSO.  I am especially proud of the men and women, both uniformed and civilian, who serve our county each and every day.  They are dedicated, ethical, hardworking and “up to the challenge” as we continue to make improvements in our service to you, our citizens. 

Our website highlights the various divisions and bureaus within our agency and gives you a better understanding of our inner workings, programs and community involvement. 

The Trauma Intervention and Special Services Bureau was recently established to expand crime victim service and advocacy, working with community based outreach programs, elders, crime victims, minorities and youth.   

Significant changes have been made to the structure of the Combined Communications Center, leading to improved morale and working conditions. The combined Center is operated by the Sheriff’s Office and handles calls for service for the ACSO, Gainesville Police Department, University Police Department, Waldo Police Department, Alachua County Fire Rescue and Gainesville Fire Rescue Departments, and various volunteer fire departments under contract.  The Center averages slightly over 289,000 calls for service per year. 

The ACSO is charged with operating the Department of the Jail through a contract with the County Commission.  The jail population for the last year was steadily climbing to an alarming high of almost 1100 inmates, with a capacity of 780. Due to many efforts from numerous segments of the criminal justice system, the population has stabilized at 900+.  In fact, the jail population experienced a pattern of decline every month since mid 2007 for the first time in ten years.  There has been a renewed collaborative effort of jail staff, judicial, state attorney, public defender and the county’s court services. Our inmate labor program has saved county taxpayers more than $15,000 in 2007. New Jail Director Robert Woody started in January 2008 and comes to us with over 30 years of experience with the State Department of Corrections. 

In November 2007, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, for the first time in nine years, entered into an interagency agreement with the Gainesville Police Department, University Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that created a multi-agency drug task force. 

We have enjoyed an unprecedented cooperative relationship with our area law enforcement agencies and will be partnering with them on juvenile crime, intelligence sharing and violent crime in the coming year. 

A Cold Case Unit was formed in 2007 to focus on unsolved murders, including the Tiffany Sessions case. 

We implemented a new automated report system and on November 5, 2007 patrol deputies went live with electronic reporting on laptops.  This allows the deputies to complete a report in the field, without having to return to the station, thus giving them more proactive time to respond to calls for service.

For the first time in over a decade we are actively recruiting at minority colleges and have established an internal recruitment team to build a more diverse workforce. 

I am committed to community service, and, in fact, sworn personnel seeking promotion must have some form of community service, approved by me to be considered for promotion.  Our agency is represented on numerous charitable organizations including March of Dimes, Boys and Girls Clubs, United Way, LifeSouth Blood Center, PACE Center for Girls, Preserve Board for Homeless Boys, American Heart Association and the Child Advocacy Center.  We also have numerous citizen volunteers and we would encourage you to join us. 

I am pleased to lead this top law enforcement agency where the staff, both sworn and civilian, are here to protect, serve and support our community with the highest degree of integrity. 

Sincerely,
Sheriff Sadie Darnell