Volusia Sheriff's Office
{{Short description|Law enforcement agency for Volusia County, Florida}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
| agencyname = Volusia Sheriff's Office
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| abbreviation = VSO
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| badge = Volusia Sheriff's Office logo (Badge).png
| badgecaption = Volusia Sheriff's Office badge
| flag = Volusia Sheriff's Office logo (cropped).png
| flagcaption = Volusia Sheriff's Office logo
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| motto = Service–Honor–Integrity
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| formedyear = {{start date and age|1855}}
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| employees = 860{{Cite web |title=Volusia Sheriff's Office |website=LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/volusiasheriff/about/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 }}
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| budget = $1,300,000,000 (2024)
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| map = File:Map of Florida highlighting Volusia County.svg
| mapcaption = Location of Volusia County with Florida
| sizearea = {{convert|1,432.44|sqmi|km2}}
| sizepopulation = 553,543
| legaljuris = Volusia County, Florida
| governingbody = County commission
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| police = Yes
| local = Yes
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| headquarters = 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand, Florida, 32720
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| sworntype = Deputy sheriffs
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| unsworntype = Civilian
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| chief1name = Mike Chitwood (I)
| chief1position = Sheriff
| chief2name = Brian Henderson
| chief2position = Chief Deputy
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| parentagency = Volusia County Council
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| stationtype = District Office
| stations = 5
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| lockuptype = Jail
| lockups = Volusia County Branch Jail
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| website = [https://www.volusiasheriff.gov/ Official website]
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The Volusia Sheriff's Office (VSO) or Volusia County Sheriff's Office (VCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency of unincorporated Volusia County, the cities of Deltona, DeBary, and Oak Hill, as well as the town of Pierson.{{Cite web |title=About the Volusia Sheriff's Office |website=volusiasheriff.gov |url=https://www.volusiasheriff.gov/about/index.stml |access-date=February 13, 2025 }} The VSO is headed by a sheriff, who serves a four-year term and is elected in a partisan election. The current sheriff is Michael J. Chitwood.{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Sheldon |date=November 5, 2024 |title=Sheriff Mike Chitwood declares himself winner in race that was never close |newspaper=The Daytona Beach News-Journal |url=https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/county/2024/11/05/sheriff-mike-chitwood-wins-re-election-easily-over-james-powers/76044395007/ |access-date=2025-02-13}}
Department Structure
File:Volusia Sheriff's Office helicopter.jpg
The Volusia Sheriff's Office is headed by a sheriff. Currently, the sheriff is Mike Chitwood who replaced former Sheriff Ben Johnson in 2017. Chitwood was previously Chief of Police of the Daytona Beach Police Department.{{cite web|title=Sheriff Michael J. Chitwood|website=volusiasheriff.gov|url=https://www.volusiasheriff.gov/about/command-staff/2033926-sheriff-michael-j-chitwood.stml|access-date=February 13, 2025}} The VSO has an annual budget of $1.3 billion, as of 2024.{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Sheldon |date=September 18, 2024 |title=Volusia County approves $1.3B budget, bigger tax rate for sheriff |newspaper=The Daytona Beach News-Journal |url=https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2024/09/18/volusia-taxpayers-will-pay-more-for-sheriff-as-part-of-1-3b-budget/75249692007/# |access-date=2025-02-13}}
=Chief Deputy=
The rank of chief deputy is the second-highest rank in the Office, reporting directly to the Sheriff. Each chief deputy serves as a member of the senior command staff and assists the sheriff in managing civilian and commissioned personnel.{{cite web|title=Brian Henderson|website=volusiasheriff.gov|url=https://www.volusiasheriff.gov/about/command-staff/brian-henderson.stml|access-date=February 13, 2025}}
=District offices=
==Substations==
Rank structure
| class="wikitable" | |
| Title
!Insignia | |
|---|---|
| Sheriff | |
| Chief Deputy | |
| Commander | |
| Colonel | |
| Major | |
| Captain | |
| Lieutenant | |
| Sergeant | Image:Army-USA-OR-05.svg |
| Deputy First Class | Image:Army-USA-OR-02.svg |
| Deputy
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History
File:VSO patrol vehicle on New Smyrna Beach, 2023.jpg, 2023]]
Five deputies have been killed in the line of duty, including Sheriff Jefferson Davis Kurtz.{{cite web|title=In Memory|website=volusiasheriff.gov|url=https://www.volusiasheriff.gov/about/in-memory.stml|access-date=February 13, 2025}}
In 2017, the VSO began implementing reformist measures to reduce the size and scope of law enforcement in Volusia County. Classes on gender and racial bias in policing were implemented.{{Cite web |last=Weichselbaum |first=Simone |date=January 23, 2018 |title=How a pro-Trump county elected a pro-immigrant reformer as sheriff |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-a-pro-trump-county-elected-a-pro-immigrant-reformer-as-sheriff |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}{{Cite news |last=Jackman |first=Tom |date=June 2021 |title=Amid rising police violence, New York City police to train entire force in de-escalation |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/23/new-york-police-deescalate/ |access-date=February 13, 2025}}
In 2020, the VSO implemented crisis intervention training for new officers in Volusia County with the goal of decreasing use-of-force and eliminating the "warrior mentality" in police operations; influenced by the Scottish police reform group Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).{{Cite web |last=Orecchio-Egresitz |first=Haven |date=June 2020 |title=A Florida sheriff credits Scottish police training techniques with a drop in use of force cases in his county |url=https://www.insider.com/florida-sheriff-scottish-police-training-use-of-force-is-down-2020-6 |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Marx |first=Willem |date=June 24, 2020 |title=A Florida sheriff adopted Scottish police training. Now his deputies use force less often. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-sheriff-adopted-scottish-police-training-now-his-deputies-use-n1231886 |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=NBC News |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Al |date=December 11, 2015 |title=U.S. Police Leaders, Visiting Scotland, Get Lessons on Avoiding Deadly Force |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/12/nyregion/us-police-leaders-visiting-scotland-get-lessons-on-avoiding-deadly-force.html |access-date=February 13, 2025 |issn=0362-4331}} In the same period, the VSO equipped detectives and the SWAT team of Volusia County with body cameras and increased the use of SWAT.{{Cite web |last=Nickeas |first=Peter |date=December 18, 2020 |title=Here's what police chiefs think Biden should do to help address issues with law enforcement |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/07/us/police-chiefs-joe-biden-law-enforcement/index.html |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=CNN |language=en}}
File:VSO responding to Hurricane Milton, Samsula, FL, 2024.jpg, Samsula, FL]]
In 2024, Sheriff Chitwood received national attention for perp walking and posting mugshots of children who had been arrested.{{Cite web |last=Stantucci |first=Jeanine |date=September 19, 2024 |title=Florida sheriff shames 2 more kids after school threats. Is it a good idea? |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/09/19/florida-school-shooting-threats-arrest-perp-walk/75289621007/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=USA Today |language=en}} His actions were characterized by Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute as "vindictive" and a "publicity stunt harmful to children".{{Cite web |last=Ruth |first=Chasidy |date=September 13, 2024 |title=Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood has a message to Volusia County parents and students |url=https://beacononlinenews.com/2024/09/13/volusia-sheriff-mike-chitwood-has-a-message-to-volusia-county-parents-and-students/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=Beacon Online News |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=McBride |first=kelly |date=September 17, 2024 |title=Journalists are mostly resisting this sheriff’s horrible precedent of naming a child |url=https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2024/mike-chitwood-facebook-florida-sheriff-mugshots-children-schools/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=poynter.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-09-29 |title=Letters: Pointless 'perp walk' |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/29/letters-pointless-perp-walk-police-went-too-far-at-eola-improving-border-security/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en}}
=List of sheriffs=
Full list of sheriffs of Volusia County:{{cite web |title=VSO History |url=https://www.volusiasheriff.gov/about/history.stml |website=volusiasheriff.gov |access-date=February 13, 2025}}
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- Elijah Watson (1855–1856)
- Hezekiah E. Osteen (1856–1858)
- Thomas J. Brooke (1858–1859)
- A.J. Simmons (1859–1860)
- James C. Marsh (1860–1862)
- Cordin Barnes (1862–1863)
- Ora Carpenter (1863–1865)
- Rueben Marsh (1865–1868)
- Andrew H. Alexander (1868–1870)
- William F. Bucknor (1870–1874)
- Christopher C. Hart (1874–1875)
- Hezekiah E. Osteen (1875–1876)
- William A. Cone (1876–1885)
- Barton F. Brooks (1885–1886)
- Uriah M. Bennett (1886–1887)
- G. P. Healy (1887–1889)
- William K. Turner (1889)
- Henry Stevenson (1889–1891)
- Jefferson Davis Kurtz (1891–1895)
- John Frohock (1895)
- John R. Turner (1895–1908)
- E. L. Smith (1908–1916)
- Lee Morris (1916–1924)
- S. Edward Stone (1924–1953)
- James H. Tucker (1953–1956)
- Rodney B. Thursby (1956–1968)
- Edwin H. Duff II (1968–1989)
- Robert L. Vogel, Jr. (1989–2001)
- Ben F. Johnson (2001–2017)
- Mike Chitwood (2017–present)
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See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.volusiasheriff.gov/ Volusia Sheriff's Office official website]
{{Volusia County, Florida}}
{{Fla LawEnforce}}