Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is to coordinate with other law enforcement agencies within Jefferson County and their efforts within the community to preserve the public peace, protect the rights of persons and property, prevent crime, and generally provide assistance to citizens in urgent situations. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the collection of county taxes, security of the courts, the service of legal process and orders of the court, enforcement of Federal Laws, and Kentucky Revised Statutes within the boundaries of Jefferson County.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office must enforce the law in a fair and impartial manner, recognizing both the statutory and judicial limitations of Sheriff’s authority and the constitutional rights of all persons. It is not the role of the office to legislate, render legal judgments, or punish.
History
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was founded in 1781 as a county agency established by the Virginia legislature for the Commonwealth of Virginia. At that time, what is now known as Louisville, consisted only of a few houses. In 1792 the Commonwealth of Kentucky was granted statehood and Jefferson County, along with the City of Louisville, became a part of Kentucky.
Today, with a rich heritage of more than two hundred years of service, the men and women of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, an Accredited Law Enforcement Agency, proudly serve a metro area of approximately one million residents.
With an authorized strength of 240 paid deputies, 102 reserve deputies, and 60 civilian support personnel, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is the fourth largest law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.