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Last Updated 09/04/2026
A sheriff's office is a hierarchical, county-level law enforcement agency, distinct from a city police department. The sheriff is an elected official who leads the agency and is accountable to the public, with an undersheriff or chief deputy serving as second-in-command and overseeing day-to-day operations. Below them, directors and command staff each lead a major division, such as patrol, investigations, corrections (many sheriff's offices, including JSO, run the county jail), and civil process/court services. Sergeants and lieutenants supervise deputies within each division, who carry out the agency's frontline work.
A sheriff is a constitutional elected official. Under Florida Constitution - Article VIII, Section 1website of the Florida Constitution, the sheriff is elected by the voters of the county to a 4-year term and serves as the county's chief law enforcement officer. They are charged with ensuring processes created by state law and the courts are carried out - enforcing the law, operating the county jail, serving civil process, and providing courtroom security - and are accountable directly to the electorate rather than to a city or county commission.
Sheriff
The undersheriff is the sheriff's second-in-command, appointed by the sheriff rather than elected. They oversee the department's day-to-day operations across its divisions, act as sheriff in the sheriff's absence, and serve at the sheriff's pleasure - meaning they can be replaced at any time and typically turn over when a new sheriff takes office.
Undersheriff
Below the undersheriff, JSO splits into departments and branches, each broken down further into divisions, sections, and units. Expand a department below to see its full chain of command down to the section and unit level. Structure current as of September 21, 2026, per Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Organizational Chart - September 21, 2026websitePublished Sep 21, 2026Accessed Sep 28, 2026.
View past organizational charts and compare changes over time →