Brazoria County Sheriff's Office

The Patrol Division of the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department is responsible for the basic law enforcement operations. The responsibilities of this division include enforcing criminal and traffic laws, protecting life and property, the initial investigation of crimes, and maintaining peace and order within Brazoria County.

Brazoria County is comprised of 1,440 sq. mi. of land area, and has approximately 230,000 permanent residents as of the 1997 census. However the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office provides patrol services only for about 75,000 that are in the unincorporated areas of Brazoria County. The citizens living within the incorporated cities have patrol services provided by their city police departments. Brazoria County also includes many sq. mi. of water, and the population swells during the tourists and summer seasons.

For patrolling, the county is divided into four sections: North, South, West, and Central, which would average to about 347 sq. mi. per section. The North end contains 5 deputies per shift, the South end 2, the West end 2, and Central 2. Since the county is so infiltrated with many water areas, the patrolman’s task is not one of ease.

The Patrol Division is made of men and women assigned to 22 marked patrol units and 6 unmarked units in various sections of the county. Assisting or supplementing in the patrol duties on holidays and other times when necessary throughout the county are 16 unmarked units plus undercover vehicles from the Investigation Division and 3 units assigned to the Training and Crime Prevention Divisions (D.A.R.E.). Each shift is 12 hours, working three consecutive days on and then three consecutive days off - allowing a rotation for weekends. Most deputies work a period of time on nights and then rotating for a period of time on days.

The chain of command consists of one captain, two lieutenants and four sergeants. This allows for a supervisor to be on duty during each shift. The deputy’s primary areas of concern is the patrolling of the unincorporated areas, back roads, and rural areas within Brazoria County.

Generally, the public’s first interaction with law enforcement is with a patrol deputy. The Patrol Division strives to gain the trust of the public, by serving their law enforcement needs. Each deputy is fully aware of this link of trust while carrying out his duties. This cooperative trust makes Brazoria County an enjoyable place to live, work, and play.

For the fiscal year, October 1998 to September 1999 the Patrol Deputies responded to the following calls for service and services rendered to citizens of Brazoria County:

Miles driven: 1,568,082

Calls for service: 35,018

Calls Report written: 4,508

Accident reports written: 529

Statements written: 4,305

Motorist assist: 4,803

Assist other agencies: 2,993

Field interviews: 6,199

Warrants served: 7,081

Civil papers served: 1,134

Felony arrests: 192

Misdemeanor arrest: 2,324

The calls for service are broken down as follows:

The North District which has five patrol units received 44.9% of the total calls for service.

The Central District which has two patrol cars received 19.2% of the total calls for service.

The South District which has two patrol cars received 16.7% of the total calls for service.

The West District which has two patrol cars received 19.2% of the total calls for service.

The Patrol Division also has two Litter and Weight Deputies. Their responsibility is to enforce the litter and weight laws of Brazoria County. Each County road has restrictions set out as to the weight that can be legally carried on them. The Deputies investigate litter and dumping complaints that are received and work with the Road and Bridge Department as needed.

The Patrol Division has two transport Deputies who travel all of over the United States in order to bring back suspects with outstanding warrants from Brazoria County. These Deputies traveled 100,097 road miles transporting 713 prisoners back to Brazoria County to answer charges brought against them. When these Deputies are not transporting prisoner, they assist the patrol Division in making calls for service and patrolling the county roads in Brazoria County.

Below we have included what, we hope will prove to be a valuable source of information pertaining to citizen relations and questions. Please take a moment to browse the below topics.