Abbreviation MCSO Employees 129 | Formed 1784 | |
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Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Operations jurisdiction* County (US) of Montgomery County in the state of Pennsylvania, USA General nature Law enforcement
Civilian police | ||
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office provides police protection for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in conjunction with local and Pennsylvania State Police. Pennsylvania law calls for the Sheriff to be elected every four years. Sheriff John P. Durante died suddenly on February 10, 2010 and Chief Deputy Sheriff Alfred J. Ricci became the Acting Sheriff. On May 6, 2011, Eileen Whalon Behr, who had been appointed Sheriff by the Governor and confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate, was sworn in to serve the balance of John P. Durante's term. Behr had previously served as Chief of Police in Whitemarsh Township. Behr was subsequently elected to a full four-year term on November 8, 2011.
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The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office became the first sheriff's office in Pennsylvania to be accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Accreditation Commission on January 29, 2010. The Office was re-accredited on June 6, 2013. The office, with the assistance of the District Attorney's Office and a federal grant, also acquired three K-9's in October, 2013.
On Friday, December 20, 2013, Sheriff Eileen Whalon Behr announced that she would be stepping down as Sheriff to accept the position of Police Chief at Drexel University in Philadelphia. On Friday, January 17, 2014, Captain Gregory L. Womelsdorf became Acting Sheriff due to Sheriff Behr stepping down and the retirement of Chief Deputy Alfred J. Ricci. On Tuesday, January 21, 2014, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett nominated former Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono to serve as Sheriff for the remainder of Sheriff Behr's term. He was confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 and sworn in as Sheriff on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. On May 15, 2014, former Norristown Police Chief Willie G. Richet was appointed as Chief Deputy.
On November 4, 2015, Sean P. Kilkenny was elected as Sheriff of Montgomery County, and was sworn in on Monday, January 5, 2016. He is also a municipal and land use attorney in Montgomery County. Sheriff Kilkenny appointed Whitemarsh Township Police Chief T. Michael Beaty as his Chief Deputy. Beaty immediately retired from the Whitemarsh Township Police Department and was sworn in as the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy on Tuesday, January 5, 2016.
Duties
The Sheriff's Office serves all civil and criminal writs and provides transportation for all prisoners, in addition to securing courtrooms and prisoners. The Sheriff's Office is also responsible for issuing license to carry firearms (LTCF). In Montgomery County, the Sheriff's Office also operates a bomb disposal team, DUI processing centers, a County Emergency Response Team, and a K-9 Unit.