| Agencyname: | Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office |
| Patch: | Patch of the Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff's Office.png |
| Flag: | Flag of Hillsborough County, Florida.svg |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of Hillsborough County, Florida |
| Motto: | To Serve and Protect |
| Formedyear: | 1845 |
| Employees: | 3,397 |
| Country: | United States |
| Countryabbr: | USA |
| Divtype: | State |
| Divname: | Florida |
| Subdivtype: | County (United States) |
| Subdivname: | Hillsborough |
| Map: | Hillsborough County Florida.png |
| Sizearea: | 888sqmi |
| Sizepopulation: | 1,157,738[1] |
| Police: | Yes |
| Local: | Yes |
| Headquarters: | Tampa, Florida |
| Sworntype: | Deputy Sheriffs and Correction |
| Sworn: | 2,067 (L.E. and Detention) |
| Unsworntype: | Civilian |
| Unsworn: | 1,375 |
| Chief1name: | Chad Chronister (R) |
| Chief1position: | Sheriff |
| Officetype: | Patrol District |
| Officename: | 5 |
| Lockuptype: | Jail |
| Lockups: | 2 |
| Boat1type: | Police Boat |
| Boats1: | 5 |
| Aircraft1type: | Helicopter |
| Aircraft1: | 5 |
| Aircraft2type: | Plane |
| Aircraft2: | 1 |
| Website: | www.teamhcso.com |
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency for Hillsborough County, Florida and is responsible for law enforcement services for the 888sqmi of unincorporated areas of the county as well as operation of the two jail facilities and provides courthouse security for the 13th Judicial Circuit. Each of the three incorporated cities (Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace) has its own police agency. Tampa International Airport and the University of South Florida also have independent police agencies.
The sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county. The current sheriff is Chad Chronister. Sheriff Chronister was appointed by Florida Governor Rick Scott on September 30, 2017, to fill the position after the retirement of David Gee.[2]
The office has one of the lowest officer-to-citizen ratios in the state with 1.4 deputies per 1000 citizens.[3] The national average is 2.3 per 1000. The population of Hillsborough County in 2006 was 1,157,738.[3]
The HCSO was formed in 1845.
In 1986, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accredited the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office was the first sheriff's office in Florida to be nationally accredited and the 1st in the nation to be re-accredited.
Deputies wear dark green trousers with a black stripe on the sides. The shirt is a white poly-cotton button-down with chest pockets, epaulettes, and shoulder patches. Deputies wear silver 5-point star badges. Officers above the rank of corporal wear gold badges. A black tie is worn with the dress uniform (long sleeves) and the command staff wear black dress jackets. Black shoes or boots are also worn with the uniform. Hats are typically not worn by deputies but they are plain black straw cowboy type.
Law enforcement deputies must be at least 21 years old and have an associate degree; a combination of high school diploma/ GED and 3 years active duty military; or high school diploma/ GED and 3 years of continuous full-time employment with the same employer. Law enforcement deputies are responsible for responding to calls for service and enforcing laws.
Detention deputies must be 19 years old and have possession of a high school diploma or a GED Certificate. They are responsible for the supervision of inmates in the county jails. They also transport inmates to and from court, prison and other counties. Detention deputies are also in charge of protection of the county courthouse and its judges.
Starting salary for a deputy trainee is 41,017.60. Starting salary for a certified law enforcement officer or detention deputy is 51,717.12.[4]
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has approximately 2,067 deputies. Law Enforcement is made up of approximately 1,254 deputies, and Detention is made up of approximately 813 deputies.
As of 2020, law enforcement was 71.4% white, 8.5% black, 15.6% Hispanic, 1.4% Asian, 0.9% native and 2.3% other. Detention was 56.3% white, 18.9% black, 21.6% Hispanic, 1.7% Asian, 0.5% native and 0.9% other.
Overall racial demographics in 2020 for all deputies was 65.5% white, 12.6% black, 17.9% Hispanic, 1.5% Asian, 0.7% native and 1.7% other.[5]
Law Enforcement has 207 females, and detention has 150 females.