About the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

The Office of Sheriff is the oldest law enforcement office in the country. The Office of Sheriff has been serving and protecting communities for over 1,000 years. The concept of a sheriff dates back to the Old Testament, when laws were first created. Where laws existed, there was a need for someone to enforce them.

In 1066, the King of England created a representative position known as a “reeve,” who acted on behalf of the King in the shires. This position became known as the “shire reeve.” As the English language evolved, “shire reeve” eventually became Sheriff. This concept carried over when the English came to the New World. When the early colonies were formed, the Office of Sheriff became the first county office established. The Sheriff’s Office is even mentioned in provisions of the Magna Carta in England in 1215. Thomas Jefferson referenced the Office of Sheriff in The Value of Constitutions, stating that “the Office of Sheriff is the most important of all the executive offices of the county.”

Ohio had a Sheriff’s Office before statehood was established. The first Sheriff on record was Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, who took office in 1788. He was appointed by the Colonial Governor and had jurisdiction over Washington County, which at the time included all of eastern Ohio from the Ohio River to Lake Erie. When Ohio became a state in 1803, the position of Sheriff became an elected office. Each of Ohio’s 88 counties now has a Sheriff’s Office whose primary duties include providing Common Pleas Court services, operating a county jail, and offering police protection in unincorporated areas of the county. The Sheriff’s Office also maintains full police jurisdiction in municipalities, townships, and villages.

In 1786, Fort Steuben was built to protect government surveyors mapping land west of the Ohio River. Known as the gateway to the west, the fort was abandoned a few years later, but the surrounding area had already been established as a settlement named La Belle. In 1797, when the county was founded by proclamation of Governor Arthur St. Clair, La Belle was selected as the county seat and was later renamed Steubenville in honor of the fort. Jefferson County covers 411 square miles and, according to the 2010 census, has a population of 69,709.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office currently employs 33 Deputies under Sheriff Fred Abdalla. These deputies include road patrol, detectives, school resource officers, and courthouse security. Road deputies patrol the county’s 411 square miles and provide police coverage for all unincorporated areas, while also assisting other departments as needed. Jefferson County includes two major roadways: State Route 7, running north and south, and U.S. Route 22, running east and west. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is a member of the Jefferson County Drug Task Force and partners with the U.S. Marshals and the Weirton Drug Task Force to curb the flow of heroin and other illegal drugs into the area.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also works to prevent impaired driving through High Visibility Enforcement, with assistance from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. This includes participation in programs such as ADAP (Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program) and the Impaired Driving Enforcement Program (IDEP), along with campaigns such as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Click It or Ticket,” which promotes seat belt awareness. Road deputies patrol countless miles and conduct numerous traffic stops to identify impaired drivers, illegal drugs, and seat belt violations. In recent years, human trafficking has emerged as a growing concern. Ohio ranks third in the nation for reported human trafficking cases, many of which are identified during traffic stops.

Beyond criminal patrols, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also operates community-focused programs such as Project Lifesaver, which helps locate individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or autism who may wander away from home.