The Civil Division of the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office consists of an office administrator and four full-time process servers who are responsible for the service of over 25,000 civil processes annually. The office administrator is responsible for the computer entry of each process, working directly with the various courts and attorneys on problem situations, and assisting the public with any civil questions they may have.

Civil process consists of witness subpoenas, warrants in debt, juvenile summonses and petitions, garnishments, show cause orders, writs of possession, and evictions. Though there are other types of civil papers, these are the primary ones served on a daily basis. The process server must have a working knowledge of all the various types of civil process and the proper execution of same. He must serve his papers promptly and make returns on each paper showing the date and manner of service and the name of the person served.

Generally civil processes can be served in one of three ways: personal service, left with a member of the family over the age of 16, or posted at the door. A majority of civil processes can be posted but orders, out-of-state papers, juvenile petitions and the garnishee’s copy of a garnishment summons require personal service.

The cost for service of civil process is $12.00 per paper/defendant for those initiated within the State and $75.00 for service of out-of-state papers. Any questions can be directed to the Civil Division at (540) 245-5205, ext. 303. The office hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Mission

The primary function of the court security division is to ensure that all Augusta County court proceedings are conducted in a safe and professional manner. The integrity of court proceedings is paramount to our system of justice in the United States. 

Courts

The court security division is responsible for providing professional security services for the Augusta County Circuit Court, the Augusta County General District Court, and the Augusta County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. 

Responsibilities

• Operating security stations at the main entrances to the courts facilities.
• Maintaining order within courtrooms, waiting areas, and parking areas adjacent to the courts buildings.
• Transportation of prisoners from facilities throughout Virginia to their respective court hearings.

Mission Statement

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division will assign, equip, and train skilled officers to investigate, through the most professional and advanced means available, any crime that occurs within, or affects the citizens of, Augusta County.

Criminal Investigations Division

The Criminal Investigations Division is currently comprised of six Investigators who investigate crimes against persons, property crimes and computer crimes. The Investigators carry a case load of approximately 75 to 100 cases, per investigator, per year. These cases consist of major crimes generally felony in nature. These investigations may include robberies, homicides, sexual assaults, forgeries, breaking and entering, and major larcenies.

Narcotics Division

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office employs three Narcotics Investigators to provide full-time attention to the enforcement of drug laws in Augusta County and they are committed to stemming the flow of illicit drugs in the area. Augusta County Investigators participate in multi-jurisdictional task forces. These task forces consist of state and local investigators pooling resources and personnel to combat illicit narcotics manufacturing, trafficking and usage in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The Patrol Division is the backbone of the Department and with 39 assigned personnel; the division answers all calls for service in Augusta County and investigates all manner of criminal complaints. Deputies of the Patrol Division are also responsible for patrolling almost 1000 square miles of area. The primary responsibility of the Patrol Division is to answer calls for service given by the Emergency Operations Center. Those calls range from alarms, burglary, disorderly conducts, domestic assaults, larcenies, trespassing, vandalism/destruction of property, etc. and taking reports on criminal activities in Augusta County. Patrol Deputies also attempt service on criminal warrants, make arrest on violators of the Code of Virginia, process arrests and investigate incidents/offenses assigned. Patrol Deputies appear before appropriate Courts and give truthful testimony regarding matters before the Court. They prepare and maintain case files, records, and criminal histories.

The Division is divided into 4 rotating shifts that work 12 hour tours of duty. A Patrol Shift will work 14 days per month, with 7 day shifts and 7 night shifts. Patrol Shifts are commanded by 1st Sergeants and consist of a Sergeant, a Corporal and 5 Deputies.  A power shift, consisting of a Sergeant, a Corporal, 2 K-9 deputies, and a deputy compliments the patrol division by providing additional manpower at peak times.  All Augusta County Deputies are assigned take home cars and currently the Patrol Fleet consists of marked Ford Taurus sedans, Explorer police package units and Dodge Chargers.

The Department currently has four assigned patrol districts, North, South, East and West. Each district is roughly 250 square miles in area and is patrolled by one assigned Deputy. Shift deputies work each area in rotation for a period of one month.

Dispatch/Records Section

The Augusta County Sheriff's Office maintains a 24 hour dispatch office that is staffed by certified dispatchers who are require to completed Basic Dispatch School and NCIC/VCIN School. Dispatchers maintain all records, warrants, traffic summons and NCIC/VCIN entries for the Sheriff's Office. They also communicate via 2 way radios, telephones and they man a 24 hour walkup window that is at the the Sheriff's Office. Our dispatchers provide critical services to the entire Department and they are usually the first person that a citizen will come in contact with when they call the Sheriff's Office. The Dispatch/Records section consists of the following personnel:

Office Manager

Jennie McNeal is our Office Manager and she oversees all of the functions of the Dispatch/Records Section. Jennie handles the day to day operations of the section, serves as a VCIN instructor, and assists in the Department's Media Relations function.

Dispatchers

The Department employs six additional dispatchers. Four of these dispatchers work shifts that mirror the shifts of the Patrol Division and two serve as floaters.

Records Manager/Services Supervisor 

The administrative support services section is supervised by a records manager. Additional duties include administrating live scans and serving as a media relations contact, with general oversight of: dispatch, the civil process division, and the school resource division.  

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office (K9) Unit was originally formed in 1971 and consisted of one Police Service Dog (PSD), “King”. This dog was handled by Deputy Eddie Meeks and unfortunately “King” was shot and killed in the line of duty. The current (K9) Unit was reestablished in 2001 with Police Service Dog (PSD), “Dezeu” and Deputy Brad Young.

Police Service Dogs have many responsibilities. Their expertise includes tracking, agility, article search, building search, open search, chase and apprehension, and handler protection. Police Service Dogs also assist the SWAT team at tactical calls. They are utilized to provide containment and to assist our SWAT Team. Our handlers are on call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. All handlers must complete an extensive training course where the handler and dog learn as a team. These are highly-trained and assertive animals, however, they are able to interact with the public. The Canine Unit is responsible for numerous public demonstrations each year. The teams attend public functions and school presentations. These demonstrations allow us to showcase the abilities of our canine partners and inform the public of their importance.

The Sheriff's Office currently has two canine teams.

Deputy Johnson

Started LE career July 2013, Has been a K9 handler for 1 year
Partnered With K9 Arko In Dec of 2018

Arko

• German Shepherd born in Holland on June 10, 2015
• 12 weeks of training together as a team at Rivanna K9 in Palmyra VA
• Trained in article searching, narcotics, tracking and apprehension
• Routinely train together as a team

Deputy Reynolds

Started LE career in 2009, partnered with Rico in January 2019

Rico

• Rico is a 2 year old Belgian Malinois that was born in Holland.
• He is a dual purpose working dog trained in Narcotic Detection and Apprehension to include tracking.
• Deputy Reynolds and Rico also attended a 12 week course together at Rivanna K9.
• Rico lives at home with Deputy Reynolds and his family.

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office Firearms Division is responsible for the training and qualification of all Department members with their issue weapons. The Firearms Division also assists the SWAT Team with qualification in special weapons.

Deputy Jesse Bryant is the Lead Firearms Instructor and he oversees purchasing and budget for the entire firearms program and he serves on the Board of the Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro (SAW) Range. This state of the art training facility was opened in 2006 and it serves all three jurisdictions.

Current duty weapons for the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office are the Glock 17/19, 9mm caliber pistols, which are fitted with a tactical light. Deputies are also issued Remington 870 Police 12 gauge shotguns and Colt M-4 or Commando 5.56mm patrol rifles.

All Department members are also equipped with Tasers; X-26, X26P, and the X2 are currently issued by our agency. Officers re-certify on Tasers yearly.

The Firearms Division is currently implementing less lethal conversions for several shotguns, converting them into bean bag guns. The Division also places a high emphasis on the use of simunitions weapons for realistic tactical training of all Department Members. 

The SWAT Team is a twelve member part-time tactical team. Each team member is a volunteer; qualified candidates undergo a rigorous selection process which includes physical agility testing, weapons qualification and training in basic SWAT operations. Once selected, SWAT Officers complete basic and advanced SWAT Training through the Department Of Criminal Justice Services and a host of other specialized schools. The team conducts tactical training on a monthly basis and frequently conducts joint training with other area tactical teams. 

Mission

The SWAT team responds to barricaded suspects, hostage rescue mission, hazardous warrant services, dignitary protection and any other mission designated by the Sheriff. 

Goals

The Augusta County Sheriff's Office SWAT team‘s goal is to save lives. We strive to achieve this goal by being on the cutting edge of training and tactics. We maintain our existing skills and are constantly looking to learn new ones.