About WCSO

WCSO is a state accredited public safety agency in Walton County, Florida. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office provides careers for approximately 500 people, including over 250 sworn deputy sheriffs and over 100 firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics.

WCSO provides full-time law enforcement services to all four law enforcement districts in Walton County and provides protection for the Walton County Courthouse and the Walton County Courthouse Annex in South Walton. WCSO also provides protection to schools in Walton County through our School Resource Deputies unit.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office is comprised of the following three divisions:

The Law Enforcement Division

The Law Enforcement Division is comprised of the Patrol Bureau, which provides road patrol and other customary services to the citizens of Walton County, and the Criminal Investigations Bureau, which investigates all major crimes that take place in Walton County. The Criminal Investigations Bureau oversees the following units: Major Crimes, Narcotics, Evidence, Special Victim’s Unit, Domestic Violence and School Resource Deputies.

The Emergency Services Division

The Emergency Services Division is comprised of Walton County Fire Rescue and the communications bureau.

Walton County Fire Rescue offers emergency medical services to all twelve districts and fire suppression and fire protection services to nine of the twelve fire districts north of the bay in Walton County.

The Communications Bureau is the Public Safety Call Center (911 Center). The communication officers working in WCSO’s Communications Bureau are responsible for answering and monitoring over 150,000 emergency and non-emergency calls per year.

The Jail Operations Division

The Jail Operations Division is responsible for providing care, control, and custody of inmates incarcerated at the Walton County Jail in DeFuniak Springs, Florida.

The Animal Services Division

The Animal Services Bureau includes Walton County Animal Control and the Walton County Animal Shelter. Walton County Animal Control Officers are responsible for responding to animal-related calls from citizens in Walton County and for transporting lost, stray, or abandoned animals to the Walton County Animal Shelter. WCAS provides safe, temporary shelter and care for any lost or abandoned animals in Walton County.