- Harris County Sheriff's Office (Texas)
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Harris County Sheriff's Office Abbreviation HCSO 
Patch of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. 
Badge of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Agency overview Formed 1837 Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Jurisdictional structure Operations jurisdiction* County (US) of Harris in the state of Texas, United States Legal jurisdiction Harris County, Texas General nature Operational structure Headquarters 1200 Baker St. Houston, TX 77002 Sworn members 2,545 Unsworn members 1,000 Sheriff responsible Adrian Garcia Footnotes * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. The Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) is a local law enforcement agency serving the over three million citizens of Harris County, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the 1200 Jail in Downtown Houston.[1]
As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 3.4 million (a 2005 estimate placed the population at almost 3.7 million), making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has approximately 3,500 employees and is the largest sheriff’s office in the state of Texas and the third largest in the nation. The number one and two largest sheriff’s offices in the nation are respectively the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in California and the Cook County Sheriff's Office in Illinois.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is the primary law enforcement agency in the 1,118 square miles (2,900 km2) of unincorporated area of Harris County, serving as the equivalent of the county police for the approximately 1,071,485 people living in the unincorporated areas of the county. In Texas, sheriffs and their deputies are fully empowered peace officers with county-wide jurisdiction and thus, may legally exercise their authority in unincorporated and incorporated areas of their county; they primarily provide law enforcement services for only the unincorporated areas of a county, while yielding to municipal police or city marshals to provide law enforcement services for the incorporated areas. All peace officers in Texas; whether Sheriff's, city police, State Troopers, constables or Marshals have state-wide arrest powers for any criminal offense committed within their presence or view.
The jurisdiction of the Harris County Sheriff's Office often overlaps with several other law enforcement agencies, among them the Texas Department of Public Safety (Highway Patrol), the eight Harris County Constable Precincts, and several municipal police agencies including the city of Houston Police Department. The duties of a Texas sheriff generally include keeping the county jail, providing bailiffs for the county and district courts within his county and serving process issued by said courts, and providing general law enforcement services to residents. The current sheriff of Harris County, Adrian Garcia, has been in office since 2009.
Contents
Organization
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is divided into ten bureaus: Executive, Patrol, Patrol Support Services, Detective, Public Services, Detentions, Field Operations Support, Human Resources, Support Services and Homeland Security. Each bureau is a major function of the department. Each bureau is commanded by a major. Each bureau is further divided into divisions/sections.
- EXECUTIVE BUREAU
- Internal Affairs Division
- Public Information Office
- PATROL BUREAU
District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5- PATROL SUPPORT SERVICES BUREAU
Traffic Enforcement Division Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit Crime Control Division/Hot Spot Unit Park Patrol Division Canine Unit Marine Division Dive Team Motorist Assistance Program (M.A.P.)- DETECTIVE BUREAU
Sex Crimes Unit Auto Theft Burglary & Theft Criminal Warrants Division Domestic Violence Homicide Covert Operations Division - Narcotics/Vice Unit Runaways Sex Crimes Offenders Registration Victims Assistance- DETENTION BUREAU
1200 Baker Street Jail 701 San Jacinto Street Jail 1307 Baker Street Jail- PUBLIC SERVICES BUREAU
Courts Division Prisoner Logistics Command Inmate Processing Center Central Records Transportation Division- FIELD OPERATIONS SUPPORT SERVICES BUREAU
- Communications Division
- Investigative Support Division
- Crime Scene Unit
- SUPPORT SERVICES BUREAU
Inmate Affairs Medical Division Support Services- HUMAN RESOURCES BUREAU
Recruiting and Background Investigations Academy Personnel Services Family Assistance Unit Uniform Supply and Inventory Control Career Development Business Office Network Administration- HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU
History
Traffic Division
John Moore was sworn in as the first sheriff of what was then called Harrisburg County (later renamed Harris County) in February 1837. Among the oldest law enforcement agencies in Texas, the department has grown from a single man on horseback to a modern agency with 3500 employees, including over 2500 sworn officers.
- List of Harris County Sheriffs
- John W. Moore..............1837-1841
- Mangus T. Rodgers..........1841-1843
- John Fitzgerald............1844-1846
- David Russell..............1846-1850
- James B. Hogan.............1850-1854
- Thomas M. Hogan............1854-1856
- John R. Grymes.............1856-1858
- George W. Frazier..........1858-1861
- B.P. Lanham................1861-1865
- John Proudfoot.............1866
- Irvin Capters Lord.........1866
- A.B. Hall..................1866-1873
- Sam S. Ashe................1873-1875
- Cornelius M. Noble.........1876-1883
- John J. Fant...............1884-1886
- George W. Ellis............1887-1895
- Albert Erichson............1896
- W.M. Baugh.................1897-1898
- Archie Anderson............1899-1912
- Marion F. Hammond..........1913-1918
- Thomas A. Binford..........1919-1936
- Norfleet Hill..............1937-1942
- Neal Polk..................1942-1948
- Clairville "Buster" Kern...1949-1972
- Jack Heard.................1973-1984
- Johnny Klevenhagen.........1985-1995
- Tommy Thomas...............1995-2008
- Adrian Garcia..............2009-
Ranks
These are the ranks of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Title Insignia Sheriff 
Chief Deputy 
Major 
Captain 
Lieutenant 
Sergeant Supervisor / Sergeant Investigator 
Deputy Investigator Deputy Detention Officer / Jailer Those with the rank of sergeant and above are issued gold badges. Deputies are issued silver badges. Detention officers (jailers) wear white uniform shirts and are issued a silver badge and Detention Officer Sergeants are issued gold badges and wear red stripes . Academy cadets wear a white uniform shirt with a cloth badge.
Promotion to the ranks of sergeant through captain are made via a civil service testing process that includes a written exam and an oral review board. Chief deputies and majors are appointed by the sheriff.
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Harris County Sheriff's Department, 35 officers have died in the line of duty.[2]
Officer Date of death Details Deputy Sheriff Carl F. Courts Saturday, November 30, 1895 Gunfire Deputy Constable James A. Reed Wednesday, September 6, 1905 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Arthur Taylor Sunday, May 24, 1914 Gunfire (Accidental) Deputy Sheriff William C. Williams Jr. Wednesday, April 16, 1930 Gunfire (Accidental) Deputy Sheriff Joe Trapolino Saturday, May 23, 1936 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Theron Eldridge (Eddie) Shofner Wednesday, July 14, 1948 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Leo Busby Thursday, September 10, 1953 Automobile accident Deputy Sheriff Donald E. Knowlton Monday, August 22, 1960 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Walter Howard Harvey Monday, November 5, 1962 Automobile accident Deputy Sheriff Fred B. Peebles Thursday, September 23, 1965 Vehicular assault Deputy Sheriff Edd Williams Saturday, January 12, 1974 Gunfire Detective Rodney Scott Morgan Tuesday, February 26, 1974 Gunfire (Accidental) Deputy Sheriff Jimmie Howard McKay Sr. Friday, March 22, 1974 Gunfire Reserve Deputy Sheriff James A. Wier Friday, August 18, 1978 Vehicle pursuit Reserve Deputy Sheriff Joe Mason Westbrook Sunday, July 1, 1979 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Albert Ochoa Garza Monday, July 30, 1979 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Royce Melvin Anderson Monday, October 26, 1981 Gunfire (Accidental) Deputy Sheriff Reginald Floyd Norwood Tuesday, September 3, 1985 Vehicle pursuit Deputy Sheriff Haskell Junior McCoy Monday, February 2, 1987 Automobile accident Deputy Sheriff Clark Harold Henry Monday, July 25, 1988 Automobile accident Deputy Sheriff Richard Maurice Blackwell Wednesday, September 6, 1989 Motorcycle accident Corporal Jeffery Scott Sanford Saturday, September 14, 1991 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Ricky A. Yates Tuesday, January 25, 1994 Motorcycle collision Detective Harvey Davis Tuesday, May 21, 1996 Heart attack Deputy Douglas John Noll Monday, July 22, 1996 Vehicle pursuit Deputy Sheriff Randolph Michael Eng Saturday, December 21, 1996 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Keith Alan Fricke Wednesday, June 4, 1997 Motorcycle accident Deputy Rebecca Ann Shaw Friday, February 13, 1998 Struck by train Deputy Sheriff Oscar Clarence Hill IV Saturday, July 22, 2000 Vehicular assault Deputy Sheriff John Charles Risley Monday, October 23, 2000 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Barrett Travis Hill Monday, December 4, 2000 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Joseph Norman Dennis Tuesday, May 22, 2001 Gunfire Deputy Sheriff Shane Ronald Bennett Wednesday, June 12, 2002 Gunfire (Accidental) Jailer Thomas Flores Douglas Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Heart attack Detective Tommy L. Keen Monday, September 15, 2008 Accidental Correction facilities
Current facilities
The 1200 Jail, the headquarters of the agencyThe Harris County Sheriff's Office's correction facilities are located in Downtown Houston, all within a block of one another.[3]
1200 Jail
The 1200 Jail opened on January 23, 2003.[4] The 1200 Jail has the administrative offices of the Sheriff's Department. The building has 603,000 square feet (56,000 m2) of space, and it has a 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) parking garage. The facility, which has 4,156 regular beds, 124 beds for the Medical Division, and 96 beds for MHMRA, is one American football field deep and two American football fields in length. 430 sheriff's deputies and detention officers work at the facility. The facility houses an inmate classification center. Each floor has counseling rooms, MHMRA examination/interview rooms, multi-purpose rooms, a recreation area, triage rooms. The fourth floor houses women. The sixth floor houses a law library and vocational rooms. The jail offers New Choices, a substance abuse program.[5] The 1200 Jail includes a large medical clinic, a dental facility, an infirmary, mental health facilities, a pharmacy, an x-ray facility.[4]
701 Jail
The 701 JailThe 701 Jail (also known as 701 North San Jacinto) is one of the largest detention facilities in the United States.[6] The seven floor 701 Jail has 4,144 inmate beds. The 701 Jail, originally a five story building to be used as a cold storage warehouse,[7] opened in the late 1920s. The Houston Terminal Warehouse and Cold Storage Facility was constantly occupied throughout its history. In 1989 the county completed the planning and design stage of its new jail. The cold storage portion was allowed to thaw, and construction on the facility began in December of that year.[6] The facility was gutted and two floors were added.[7] The 701 Jail opened in August 1991.[6] Harris County stated that the re-use of the warehouse saved the county about $21,000,000. About 600 sheriff's deputies and detention officers work in the facility. The county designates the 701 Jail as a "Direct Observation" facility, where staff members monitor inmates continuously for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.[7] In 2002 the 701 Jail was the second largest American jail, with the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department being the largest.[8]
1307 Jail
The 1307 Jail (also known as the 1307 Baker Street facility[8]), located east of the 701 Jail, was originally built as a state jail for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.[9] The building was at first occupied by the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department. The building reopened under the Sheriff's office in 1998.[8] As of 2010 the Harris County Sheriff's Office is leasing the facility. The 1,070 inmate beds are located in two wings. The county designates this jail as a "Semi-Direct Observation," where staff members monitor inmates in the dormitory area continuously for twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. One lieutenant, nine sergeants, and 112 sheriff's deputies and detention officers staff the jail. The jail also has the Farm Shop, a place where stray livestock confiscated by the Sheriff is kept.[9]
Former facilities
The 850,000 square feet (79,000 m2) 1301 Franklin facility opened on September 13, 1982.[10] The county built the jail due to the aftermath of the early 1980s Alberti lawsuit.[11] The jail, with 13 stories and a basement, had the HCSO's administrative offices. The facility opened on September 13, 1982 and had the capacity to house around 4,000 inmates.[10] After the opening of the 1200 Jail on January 23, 2003, the former Franklin facility was no longer used as a jail.[4] Currently the HCSO's Crime Scene Unit is housed in the building.[12]
The 301 San Jacinto facility is a former jail. Before 1982 a portion of the 3rd floor had the headquarters of the HCSO. Three floors housed inmates. The basement had the booking, kitchen, laundry, and releasing areas. The commissary operated in a room on one of the housing floors. The cellblocks were overcrowded. The Alberti lawsuit forced the county to build additional jails. In 2002 400 trustees were housed in the top four floors in the building. As of the same year administrative offices, court processing/holding cells, and visitation facilities were in the basement.[11]
See also
References
- ^ The 1200 Jail." Harris County, Texas. Accessed September 12, 2008.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Inmate Visitation Policies." Harris County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Medical." Harris County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ "The 1200 Jail." Harris County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b c "701 North San Jacinto." Harris County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b c "The 701 Jail." Harris County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Harris County Jail System." Harris County Sheriff's Office. February 12, 2003. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b "The 1307 Jail," Harris County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b "1301 Franklin facility." Harris County Sheriff's Office. February 22, 2003. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b "301 San Jacinto." Harris County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
- ^ "Crime Scene Unit." Harris County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on May 28, 2010.
External links
Categories:- Law enforcement agencies of Texas
- Harris County, Texas
- Sheriffs' departments of Texas
- EXECUTIVE BUREAU
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