HISTORY & MISSION

OUR HISTORY
The Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office used to be known as the Chesterfield County Rural Police Commission. Records from the year 1787 list the agency's head as Allen Chapman. He is, presumably, the first sheriff of the county.

Though the exact number is not known with certainty due to a lack of complete records, there has since been more than 20 sheriffs. An interesting, little-known fact is that at least two wives temporarily assumed the position of sheriff upon their elected husbands' untimely deaths. Coincidentally, these two deaths happened in back-to-back terms.

The first recorded in-the-line-of-duty death within the department occurred on a Monday night in 1924 in the town limits of Pageland. Records do not refer to the lawman killed - Officer H.B. Graves - as 'Deputy Graves' because the CCSO was still known at that time as the Chesterfield County Rural Police Commission. The most recent in-the-line-of-duty death - of Deputy W.J. Crawley in 1998 - was also on a Monday and also in the northwest area of the county. Details on both deaths are available on our Memorials page.

In decades past, it was not unusual for there to be only two deputies available to answer calls on night shift. In its recent history, however, the CCSO has grown its ranks to provide more thorough around-the-clock coverage of its 800+ square miles. The Patrol division - which is the largest single division within the department - is now comprised of four 5-man teams that alternately patrol on 12-hour shifts.

OUR MISSION
Although the names and times have changed, the CCSO's mission is still the same: the protection of life and property of Chesterfield County citizens.