Monterey County Sheriff's Office

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The Monterey County Sheriff's Office is the county law enforcement agency for Monterey County, California. It provides protection and law enforcement to the non-municipal areas of Monterey County. The Sheriff's Office has about 300 employees and a budget of over 50 million dollars.

History

The Sheriff's Office was founded in 1850; and as such the department is one hundred and seventy-three years old. The Sheriff's Office is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the state of California.^{[citation needed]}

In 2014, a federal judge issued an injunction against Sheriff Scott Miller barring him from campaigning in uniform.^[1]

In October 2022, the League of United Latin American Citizens stated that four victims had asked for support with sexual harassment complains against the office, and called for an oversight board.^[2] Also in October, two senior officers were terminated, one for unearned overtime, and one for receiving stolen prescription drugs.^[3]

Tina Nieto was elected the county's first Latina sheriff in November 2022.^[4]

List of Monterey County Sheriffs

• 1. William Roach 1850–1853
• 2. Aaron Lyons 1854–1855
• 3. John B. Keating 1856–1857
• 4. Henry DeGraw 1858–1859
• 5. Aaron E. Lyons 1860–1864 (Died in office)^[5]
• 6. James B. Smith 1864–1865
• 7. Thomas Watson 1866–1871
• 8. Andrew Wesson 1872–1873
• 9. James B. Smith 1874–1875
• 10. James E. Graves 1876–1877
• 11. John C. Franks 1878–1882
• 12. James E. Graves 1883–1888
• 13. James A. Horton 1889–1892
• 14. John L. Matthew 1893–1898
• 15. Henry R. Farley 1899–1899 (Killed in office)
• 16. Melvin R. Keef 1899–1902
• 17. William J. Nesbitt 1902–1923
• 18. William A. Oyer 1924–1927
• 19. Carl H. Abbott 1928–1940 (Died in office)
• 20. J. A. Cornett* 1940–1940
• 21. Alexander H. Bordges 1940–1946 (Died in office)
• 22. J. A. Cornett* 1946–1946
• 23. Jack L. McCoy 1946–1957
• 24. Victor V. Tibbs 1957–1963
• 25. William J. Davenport 1963–1979
• 26. David B. "Bud" Cook 1979–1991
• 27. Norman G. Hicks 1991–1999
• 28. Gordon Sonne 1999–2003
• 29. Mike Kanalakis 2003–2010
• 30. Scott Miller 2011–2014
• 31. Steve Bernal 2015–2022
• 32. Tina Nieto 2022–present*
• J. A. Cornett (coroner) served as interim Sheriff after deaths in office of Sheriff Abbott and Bordges until new elections could be held.

List of Fallen Monterey County Sheriff's Officials

• 1. Monterey County Constable William Hardmont, September 2, 1854
• 2. Deputy Jose Joaquin Carmen Santiago de la Torre, November 10, 1855
• 3. Sheriff's Posse Deputy Charles Layton, November 10, 1855
• 4. Sheriff Henry Reed Farley, September 18, 1899
• 5. Sheriff's Posse Special Officer Noah H. Rader, July 25, 1925
• 6. Deputy Craig Lingley Knox, June 1, 1980
• 7. Deputy Jerralee Jane Jacobus, June 1, 1980
• 8. Deputy Robert "Bob" Jefferson Shaw IV, April 9, 1988
• 9. Deputy Anthony "Tony" James Olson, September 24, 1996

References