Administration Division

The Washington County Sheriff's Office is home to over 260 full-time employees, 30 temporary and seasonal employees, and over 100 volunteers. In addition to general oversight of the Sheriff's Office and its employees, the Administration Division oversees financial support, grant management, and budget forecasting while maintaining a $40 million dollar annual budget.The Administration Division works on recruitment, hiring, health and wellness programs, human resources and training. Other key responsibilities include: countywide building security operations, background investigations, internal employee conduct and standards, public information management, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office-specific SWAT operations.

STARRY_WEB_RESOLSheriff Dan Starry

Sheriff Dan Starry has worked for Washington County Sheriff’s Office since 1993 and is honored to be the 30th sheriff in the history of Washington County.  The Washington Sheriff’s Office is proud of its long history serving the citizens of Washington County and is proud to have the slogan “Minnesota’s pioneer agency, est. 1840” on the side of their squad cars.

Sheriff Starry is a graduate from St. Mary’s University and is a graduate of the 250th session of the FBI National Academy, the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association program, and the 117th session of the National Sheriff's Institute. 

In his 29-year career with Washington County, he has served in numerous roles, including: crime prevention officer, Deputy Sheriff, DARE officer, Explorer advisor, field training officer (FTO), K9 handler with K9 Smokey, Narcotics officer, SWAT team operator, team leader and overall Commander of the SWAT team, Patrol Sergeant, Special Services Commander, Chief Deputy, and your elected Sheriff.

Sheriff Starry proudly serves on the Board of Directors and past President for the United Way of Washington County East, the Executive Board and past Chair for the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, the Executive Board for Lakes Center for Youth and Family, and Executive Board for the Frontline Foundation.  He serves on the leadership committee for Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) and is a member of the Minnesota Violent Crime Coordinating Council.  He is a member of the National Sheriff’s Association, National Association of Chiefs of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, American Jail Association, and past President of the 4th district of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association.

Dan and his wife, Jeanice, have been married for 30 years and have two daughters. Dan lives by the motto “do the right thing” and has demonstrated this through his career at Washington County through engagement with the community where he continues to build strong relationships with community partners for the benefit of the citizens he proudly serves.

anschutz_webChief Deputy Doug Anschutz

Chief Deputy Anschutz started his law enforcement career in 1987 as a military police officer in the United States Marine Corps. While in the Marine Corps, he served as a member of the security team which protected Marine One, the aircraft which carries the President of the United States. Doug joined the Washington County Sheriff's Office in 1996 and has served as Patrol Deputy, K9 handler, DARE instructor, Patrol Sergeant, Commander, and Chief Deputy.


Sheriff's Office Policies