Sheriff

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Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Sheriff's Office to keep Benton County safe by enforcing laws, providing public safety services, and building community partnerships with respect and integrity.

Vision Statement

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office strives to reduce crime and build community trust while ensuring accountability to the people we serve.

Strategic Plan

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office has created a strategic plan to assist in guiding and focusing our efforts on the mission of keeping Benton County safe by enforcing laws, providing public safety services, and building community partnerships with respect and integrity. To access the overview of this strategic plan and a graphic representation of the plan:

Key Responsibilities

The sheriff, as chief county law enforcement officer, is charged with keeping and preserving the peace of the county. The sheriff’s duties include:

  • Investigating felonies and arresting those responsible
  • Housing inmates in the county jail
  • Transporting inmates through the court system
  • Providing for the security of the court
  • Conducting search and rescue operations within the county
  • Serving civil actions and notices
  • Collecting delinquent taxes
  • Executing other processes as required by law to be served or posted on behalf of the state or county

Employee Makeup

The Benton County Sheriff's Office employs 84 people including 29 licensed peace officers and 8 public safety dispatchers. The 8 public safety dispatchers answer 911 calls made from the unincorporated areas of Benton County as well as the cities of Rice, Sauk Rapids and Foley. 

Citizen Volunteers

Trained citizen volunteers assist the Sheriff’s Office in the 20 member Mounted Patrol Unit and the 10 member Reserve Deputy Unit.

Jurisdiction

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office, while maintaining law enforcement jurisdiction throughout the entire county, exercises primary law enforcement jurisdiction in the unincorporated areas of the county. The Sheriff’s Office works in close cooperation with our partner law enforcement agencies who share jurisdiction in all or part of Benton County. 

Sheriff's Office Building

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office was built in 1996 and its jail can house up to 102 inmates.