Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office


The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency of Santa Rosa County, Florida. Both the cities of Gulf Breeze and Milton operates their own LEOs ; however, the sheriff's office operates the majority of law enforcement operations within the county. SRSO is headed by a sheriff, who serves a four-year term and is elected in a partisan primary election.

Offices & facilities

The main offices are in Milton. District offices are located in Navarre, Gulf Breeze, Pace, and Jay

Administration

Sheriff
Sheriff Bob Johnson has been employed with SRSO since 1993. He was elected as Sheriff in 2016 and sworn in on January 3, 2017. He is a longstanding member of the county's SWAT Team and formerly held the post of SWAT Team Commander. During his employment with the agency, Bob has been the member of the following units: Major Crimes Detective, Narcotics Supervisor, D.A.R.E School Resource Officer, Juvenile Unit Supervisor, Patrol Corporal, Patrol Sergeant, Evening Shift Watch Commander, Navarre District Commander, Internal Affairs, Administrative Captain, Criminal Investigations Division Commander, Fleet Operations and Public Information Officer.
Chief Deputy
  • Current Chief Deputy Sheriff: Randy Tifft
Joe McCurdy was appointed as Chief Deputy Sheriff in 2023.
Command Staff:
Assistant Chief Shane Tucker,
Colonel Randy Tifft,
Major Chris Watson,
Major Douglas Bringmans
Administration Staff:
Patrol Division: Captain Jason Erlemann
Investigative Division: Captain Blevin Davis/Lieutenant Scott Jones
Professional Standards: Captain Wayne Enterkin
Administration: Captain Scott Haines
Public Information Officer: Sgt. Rich Aloy
District Field Offices:
District One - Gulf Breeze Area:
District Two - Navarre Area:
District Three - Pace Area:
District Four - East Milton Area:
District Five - Jay Area :
SRSO Units
- Court Security
- Crime Analysis
- Crime Scene
- Field Training
- Honor Guard
- K-9 Unit
- Major Crimes
- Marine / Dive
- Media Relations
- Narcotics
- SWAT
- Traffic

Services Provided for Citizens

  • Citizens' Law Enforcement Academy
  • Volunteer Program
  • Civilian Observer
  • Citizen's Firearm Safety
  • Crime prevention strategies
  • Crime Stoppers
  • Victim Assistance Program
  • Explorer Program
  • Fingerprint services
  • "Know The Law" booklet
  • ID Theft booklet

History

List of SRSO Sheriffs

  • Jesse Carter Allen 1842-1845
  • William Washington Harrison 1845-1849
  • James R. Mims 1849-1851
  • Isaiah Cobb, Jr. 1851-1855, 1860-1861
  • James C. McArthur 1855-1859
  • James Milton Amos 1861-1863
  • John L. McLellan 1863-1865
  • Abraham.B. Dixon 1865-1867
  • John W. Butler 1874-1878
  • Wiliam Adam C. Benbow 1878-1881
  • William Jackson 1881-1893
  • John Houston Collins 1893-1897, 1909-1913
  • David Mitchell 1897-1909
  • John H. Harvell 1913-1921
  • Henry Clay Mitchell 1921-1933
  • Joseph T. Allen Sr. 1933-1945
  • Marshall Rufus Hayes 1945-1957
  • Bart Dell Broxson 1957-1959
  • Annie Rachel Gordon Broxson 1959-1959
  • John Ray Broxson 1959-1961
  • Wade H. Cobb Sr. 1961-1968
  • Leon Hinote Jr. 1968-1972
  • Harvell Enfinger 1972-1981
  • James A. Powell Sr. 1981-1985
  • Elwyn Mauriece Coffman Jr. 1985-1992
  • James F. Coats 1992-1992
  • Jerry D. Brown 1992-2000
  • Wendell Hall 2000–2016
  • Bob Johnson 2016–Present

Television

The sheriff's office has a television show, hosted by Sheriff Johnson and Sgt. Rich Aloy on Blab TV, entitled "INSIDE SRSO". It is broadcast on Blab TV.

Postcard-only policy

In 2010, Sheriff Wendell Hall instituted a policy that prohibited inmates from sending mail in enclosed envelopes, with the exception of privileged and legal mail. All regular correspondence was required to be done by postcard. An inmate at the jail named Marcie Hamilton filed suit against the sheriff on behalf of the class of inmates at the jail, arguing the policy violated their rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution. The Sheriff rescinded this policy just before the suit went to trial, and the parties settled in February 2012.