The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office provides patrol services to the 36,415 citizens of Douglas County. They also assist the Alexandria Police Department, Carlos Police Department, and the Osakis Police Department. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office provides 24 hour service to all residents of Douglas County.
The Sheriff and 26 Deputy Sheriff's are responsible for law enforcement functions of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Some of these functions include active and visible patrol, traffic enforcement, investigations, civil process, narcotics investigations and court security.
During the summer, the Sheriff’s Office employs seasonal water patrol deputies to patrol area lakes and respond to water related incidents. Water patrol receives funding through various grants received from the State of Minnesota. See Water Patrol page for raft/structure permits and water event permits.
Call Response: Deputies respond to all calls for service within the county and perform a broad range of activities which include investigating crimes such as disturbances, domestic violence incidents, suspicious persons and vehicles; assisting other agencies when requested; responding to accidents; administering first aid to the injured; transporting prisoners and individuals with mental disorders. Deputies also serve civil papers and arrest warrants.
Special Activities: In addition to their regular duty assignments, deputies also have opportunities to explore interests and develop new skills. These activities include such department-wide functions as: background investigations of potential deputy sheriff candidates; field training officers for newly hired deputies; snowmobile patrol; TZD Patrol (Towards Zero Death); Dive Team, and SWAT Team. Training for these teams is above and beyond their regular scheduled road schedule.