The Patrol Division of the Sheriff’s Office is responsible for providing primary police service to the unincorporated areas of the 19 townships within Guernsey County.  These 19 townships encompass more than 40,000 residents, approximately 528 square miles, and more than 1,225 miles of federal, state, county, and township roadways.  As the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the County, the Sheriff has one of the most extensive sets of responsibilities to those they serve. By statute they must provide the following:

• Line Law Enforcement
• Court Security and Service of Papers
• Jail Operations
• Nationwide Extradition Process
• Transportation of Prisoners
• Registration/Verification of Sexual Offenders
• Process CCW Applications
• County-wide E911 System
• Roadway Condition Advisory System

The Patrol Division of the Sheriff’s Office serves as the foundation on which most of the other Sheriff’s Office divisions are built. The realization that criminal activity is directly detected and deterred by an aggressive traffic enforcement posture is proven again and again.  It is the Patrol Division that is most visible, is usually the first to respond to calls for assistance and generates most of the reports submitted to other divisions for follow up. It is within this division that six of the nine responsibilities of the Sheriff, as set by statue, are carried out.