The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is in Raleigh, N.C., serving more than 1,000,000 residents in 12 municipalities and unincorporated areas. Wake County, which is the capital county of the State of North Carolina, is the largest county.
Our agency employs approximately 1,000 highly qualified, professional men and women, sworn officers and civilians, who work tirelessly around the clock on behalf of its residents.
Every day the Wake County Sheriff’s Office operates in cooperation with 12 local law enforcement agencies, as well as state and federal partners, to bring offenders to justice by serving and processing arrest warrants.
Administrative
The Administrative Division is responsible for providing a wide range of support services for the Sheriff’s Office to operate effectively on a day-to-day basis. This includes functions such as issuing Concealed Carry Handgun Permits, Recruiting, Sex Offender Registry, School Resource and others.
Judicial Services
The Judicial Services Division houses the Wake County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers Program, providing deputies for the state’s largest school system.
The Judicial Services Division is tasked with judicial orders pertaining to civil issues. This group works to ensure that court documents are properly handled and that court cases are processed efficiently, including the eviction process for all residents within Wake County.
The service of civil process is a core function that falls inherently on the elected sheriff and is a primary function of many sheriff’s offices nationwide. Civil Processes in North Carolina are served and returned according to North Carolina General Statutes and a mandated requirement of each county Sheriff.
The Judicial Services Division also houses the Victim Services Unit, responsible for all domestic-related restraining orders and subsequent violations, as well as providing available services to victims.
The Judicial Transport Unit is used for the movement of involuntary commitment patients and those experiencing mental illness residing within Wake County. These transports are to facilities across our state so that proper treatment can be admitted.
Courthouse Operations
The Courthouse Operations Division personnel are entrusted to perform certain responsibilities to ensure that the courts and other key County government entities remain open and functional for duties. The Deputies assigned to Courthouse Operations Division play a vital role and responsibility for all persons’ entering the Wake County Justice Center and the Wake County Courthouse. Every person must pass through a metal detector and all packages, bags, electronics must be screened to ensure that there are no weapons or items deemed illegal enter the building. Several Deputies assigned to these courthouse spots are tasked with assisting and overseeing the safety and security of this screening process from elevated Security Stations located throughout these buildings.
Patrol
Deputies assigned to the Patrol Division are the first on the scene at every emergency call. From directing traffic at a wreck scene to responding to a serious crime to responding to disasters, our deputies are trained to handle any emergency.
Our patrol also has a boat team that responds to emergencies at Falls Lake and Harris Lake, to ensure that boaters are following all safety regulations.
Criminal Investigations
Our Criminal Investigative Division are our detectives. They are called in to investigate crimes ranging from burglaries to homicides. After our patrol deputies respond to the initial call, investigators are called to the scene or follow up on cases generated by the patrol division. Upon completion of an investigation, deputies begin their work to process a case that will be prepared to hand over to the district attorney’s office.
Homeland Security and Special Operations
Homeland Security and Special Operations consists of the Special Response Team, K-9 Unit, Drugs and Vice, Impact Team, Criminal Analysis and Apprehension Team, Crash Reduction Unit, Warrant Unit, Diverse Operations, and Federal Task Force Officers.
The Special Response Team is a highly trained unit that responds to emergencies ranging from barricaded subjects to serving "high risk" warrants on dangerous subjects.
The K-9 team consists of deputies trained to respond to help find lost children or adults, as well as searching for drugs and weapons at crime scenes where these items are difficult to find with the human eye.
911 Communications
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center provides emergency communication services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The communicators are the first people citizens hear when they dial 9-1-1 for assistance and communicate with the public, co-workers and other law enforcement agencies, while maintaining records/files generated from the state and federal agencies.
Detention
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office Detention Division manages two detention facilities, the only such facilities that house adult detainees in Wake County. The Wake County Detention Center is located at 3301 Hammond Road, approximately halfway between the cities of Raleigh and Garner. The second facility is located at the John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center, at 330 S. Salisbury St. in downtown Raleigh.
Training
Training and Staff Development provides initial and ongoing training for all employees of the Wake County Sheriff's Office. The Training division is accredited through the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission.