The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency within Loudoun County, Virginia and is the largest Sheriff's Office in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The agency is currently headed by Sheriff Michael L. Chapman who was last re-elected in 2023.

Organization LCSO is headed by the Sheriff and is divided into three bureaus, each led by a Chief Deputy with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel: Field Operations, Investigations, and Administrative and Corrections. Bureaus are made up of one or more divisions, sections, and units.

Rank Structure +InsigniaTitleResponsibilities / InformationSheriffCommander of the department.Undersheriff (Colonel)Second-in-command of the department; rank no longer used.Chief Deputy (Lieutenant Colonel)Commands a Bureau.MajorCommands a Division.CaptainCommands a Station or assistant commander of a division.First LieutenantAssistant Commander of a Station or commander of a Section.Second LieutenantCommander of a Unit or a patrol shift.SergeantSupervisor within a Unit or patrol shift.Master Deputy SheriffCompetitive senior rank requiring 12 years of service.Deputy First ClassAutomatic promotion.Deputy SheriffAutomatic promotion.Probationary Deputy

Potential Transition to Police Department Shortly after being re-elected in 2019, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Phyllis Randall proposed transitioning policing to a new police department while the sheriff would only be responsible for court related duties as is done in Prince William County and Fairfax County. Randall said the reason she proposed this is "I just simply don’t believe that law enforcement should be political." However, Sheriff Michael L. Chapman has stated that "[Loudoun Residents] are happy with the service they are getting, and it’s almost like, 'Why is there going to be a move to try and fix something that’s not broken?' it just seems to me to be a matter of just exercising power and control."

In 2012, the Board of Supervisors asked for a report about a potential transition and the commission responsible strongly recommended keeping the current system citing decreased state funding due to low crime rates and the idea that a police chief would be equally political when appointed.

To implement a police department a referendum is required and must be approved by voters in the county and enacted by the Virginia General Assembly.

In 2022, the Board of Supervisors announced that it would no longer seek the transition following an extensive report on the subject was released by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The report recommended that the transition not go forward due to several reasons, including the cost (estimated to be between $200 and $300 million), the LCSO's very high satisfaction rates among county citizens, and the low crime rate of the county.

List of sheriffs

+ Number Portrait Name Term Party Electoral History1stAeneas Campbell1757–UnknownIndependentAppointed in 1757 at the creation of Loudoun CountyUnknownSamuel C. LuckettJune 1865–May 1866DemocraticElected 1865 Election held 1866 despite four-year termUnknownElijah Viers White1867–UnknownIndependentElected 1867UnknownThomas W. EdwardsJanuary 1, 1908–December 31, 1923IndependentElected 1907 Re-elected 1911

Re-elected 1915

Re-elected 1919UnknownEugene Adrian1930sIndependentElected 1931UnknownS. Paul AlexanderJanuary 1, 1940–June 5, 1951DemocraticElected 1939 Re-elected 1943

Re-elected 1947

ResignedUnknownCarroll S. HutchisonJune 6, 1951–December 31, 1951IndependentAppointedUnknownRoger Franklin PowellJanuary 1, 1952–December 31, 1959DemocraticElected in 1951 Re-elected in 1955

Lost re-electionUnknownMaurice "Max" DwyerJanuary 1, 1960–December 31, 1963DemocraticElected in 1959UnknownRobert Willis LegardJanuary 1, 1964–December 31, 1979DemocraticElected 1963 Re-elected 1967

Re-elected 1971

Re-elected 1975

Lost re-electionUnknownDonald L. LacyJanuary 1, 1980–December 31, 1983RepublicanElected in 1979 RetiredUnknownJohn R. IsomJanuary 1, 1984–December 31, 1995DemocraticElected in 1983 Re-elected in 1987

Re-elected in 1991

Lost re-electionUnknownStephen O'Neil SimpsonJanuary 1, 1996–December 31, 2011RepublicanElected in 1995 Re-elected in 1999

Re-elected in 2003

Re-elected in 2007

Lost re-election Unknown Michael Louis Chapman January 1, 2012–present RepublicanElected in 2011 Re-elected in 2015

Re-elected in 2019

Re-elected in 2023

See also

List of law enforcement agencies in Virginia

References

External links Loudoun County Sheriff's Office official weblink Loudoun government official website