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Welcome to Washington County Sheriff's Office
If you are having an emergency
If you are having an emergency call 9-1-1 immediately regardless of the incident location.
Please be aware that 9-1-1 calls from a cell phone may be initially answered by the State Patrol particularly if you are standing/driving close to an interstate.
To inquire about police reports or other administrative functions occurring in the cities of Cottage Grove, Forest Lake, Oakdale, Oak Park Heights, Stillwater, or Woodbury, please contact that agency directly. View contact numbers for these agencies.
Pioneer Agency
Known as the "Pioneer Agency", the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is located in the Law Enforcement Center at 15015 62nd Street North, Stillwater, MN.
Phineas Lawrence was the first Sheriff appointed to the territory in 1840. We are proud of our pioneer history. Those who have served since have been honored to carry on the tradition of service to the citizens of Washington County.
Employees and Volunteers
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has 267 full-time employees, 30 temporary/seasonal employees, and more than 150 volunteers. Our employees and volunteers are dedicated to providing services with a high degree of professionalism, compassion and integrity.
The Sheriff’s Office has an annual budget of $36 million, allowing us to provide a variety of public safety services to our citizens.
Location
The Washington County Sheriff's Office, is located in the Law Enforcement Center, 15015 62nd Street North, Stillwater, MN (adjacent to the county government center and courthouse). The Sheriff's Office also operates several remote "substations" around the county for use by patrol deputies and detectives in order to complete reports in a timely fashion without having to leave their contract area or patrol grid. Substation offices are not generally staffed on a regular basis and are not publicly accessible.
Service Areas
The Sheriff's Office provides full law enforcement services to all of the cities and townships in the county that do not have their own police department. We also provide police coverage under contract to the cities of Mahtomedi, Dellwood, Willernie, Birchwood, Hugo, Grant, Lake Elmo, Scandia, Afton, St Mary's Point, Lakeland, Lakeland Shores, Landfall, St Croix Beach, and Newport.
The cities that maintain their own police services are Cottage Grove, Bayport, Forest Lake, Oakdale, Oak Park Heights, St. Paul Park, Stillwater and Woodbury. These agencies should be contacted directly to inquire about case reports or for general city police information. View contact numbers for these agencies.
The Sheriff’s Office is divided into six divisions and operates within a distinct chain-of-command. The Administrative Division is overseen by Sheriff Dan Starry and Chief Deputy Doug Anschutz. The remaining divisions are each overseen by a Commander who reports directly to the Sheriff and Chief Deputy.
Special Services Division - Commander Andrew Ellickson
Patrol Division - Commander Tim Harris
Investigative Division - Commander Sara Halverson
Jail Division - Commander Roger Heinen
Courts / Special Projects Division - Commander Kyle Schenck
Mission Statement The mission of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is to work in partnership with the community to provide quality public safety services in a reasonable manner through innovation, leadership, and the cooperation of dedicated people.
Vision The vision of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is to create the safest and most crime resistant community in the nation by providing superior public safety services.
Guiding Principles The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will be committed to excellence through:
- Ethics and Integrity Ensuring high personal and professional standards. Enhance community trust and respect through role model leadership and involvement at all levels.
- Professionalism Ensure credibility through professional appearance and consistent action. Maintain a positive and respectful work place environment.
- Quality Service Maintain adequate staffing and equipment resources. Maintain a state of preparedness. Remain dedicated to education and interaction with the public. Deliver pro-active and responsive services in a consistent, unbiased and timely manner.
- Adaptability and Change Anticipate community needs and maintain a vision into the future. Work together to encourage innovation and creativity. Strive to remain flexible and objective in a goal oriented atmosphere.
- Recruitment and Development Utilize career development to ensure well trained and knowledgeable employees. Recognize and reward significant contributions and high quality achievements. Actively recruit high quality individuals
At the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, we know wearing a uniform and carrying a badge is a symbol of public faith and trust. We want to make sure every interaction with our citizens comes with a high degree of professionalism and integrity. We want to hear from our citizens if at any time our service may fall short of our high standards. We will fully and vigorously investigate each and every complaint of service or conduct. We would also like to hear from you when our service goes above and beyond
How to file a compliment (commendation) or say thank you to one of our employees