Patrol Division
PATROL DIVISION
The Sheriff's Office Patrol Division is responsible for enforcing the state's criminal and traffic laws throughout Madison County, including all municipalities, even though the cities of Huntsville, Madison, Triana, Owens Cross Roads, New Hope, and Gurley have their police departments. The only cities with significant law enforcement agencies are Huntsville and Madison.
The Madison County Sheriff's Office currently consists of 117 sworn deputy sheriff's positions. Most of these positions are assigned to patrol, where deputies provide law enforcement services throughout the county. The department’s patrol division consists of three 10-hour shifts, which answer calls for service within 16 zoned areas totaling 850 square miles. A lieutenant and two sergeants supervise each shift. Their primary mission is to answer calls for service from citizens and protect the public from criminal activity through proactive patrol operations. They are also responsible for the benefit of criminal processes such as arrest warrants and subpoenas, which the Madison County Court System generates. The patrol division functions are a 24-hour day activity where deputies typically work four days per week, ten hours a day; however, on-call 24 hours a day.
The agency's K-9 Unit is comprised of four deputies. The dogs are dual-purpose, and the team is responsible for various duties. Some of these include highway interdiction, enhanced traffic enforcement, educational programs, and demonstrations for local schools and community events. At times, they also respond to surrounding agencies that request the use of a canine. Each shift is equipped with a K9 and its handler.
The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit comprises personnel from various areas within the Sheriff’s Office. The team responds to calls of hostage situations, barricaded suspects, or any unusual situation requiring specialized training/tactics and equipment. The team is also utilized for arrest or search warrants considered high-risk. Additionally, Crisis / Hostage Negotiators are assigned to the team. These members receive extensive training that equips them to respond to any situation where their services are needed.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has ten crossing guards covering eight schools in Madison County. Two of these are alternates that work when others cannot. The crossing guards are responsible for the safety of children crossing busy streets and intersections to and from school. Maintaining a pleasant, courteous, and helpful attitude toward the school children and the general public is necessary. School Crossing Guards are placed in areas where it is unsafe for elementary children to cross alone. The primary goal of the guard is to assist and educate elementary students in safe crossing on busy streets and highways as they travel to and from school. School Crossing Guards encourage students to use safe crossing habits by reminding them to stay in the crosswalk, walk and not run, and always look left, right left, before entering the roadway. Monday through Friday, morning and afternoon, and often in inclement weather, you will see school crossing guards assist students across busy streets and highways. School Crossing Guards utilize gaps and, as needed, create gaps in traffic, ensuring the children’s safety. Often, motorists view this break in the traffic flow as an annoyance, and all too frequently, motorists fail to heed the school crossing guards’ signals. This increases the risk of an accident and endangers the children. When you see a guard, this is a reminder you are near a school and children are in the area. Be alert for posted school zone speed; reduce your rate or stop if necessary. Do not stop in a crosswalk. Obey signals from the crossing guard, and remember, children are unpredictable. Please do your part to make our school zones safer for the children and the guards assisting them.
Statistics are one way to understand issues in a community. Management uses this information to gauge crime trends, allocate resources, and make appropriate management decisions. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office submits monthly data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for its Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Nearly 17,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States provide comparable data, improving information reliability for meaningful analysis. The Madison County Sheriff's Office received a total of 75,410 calls for service in 2021. These calls range from residential burglaries, vehicle burglaries, theft of property, personal crimes, property crimes, alarms, warrants served, civil papers, assistance from other agencies, domestic violence, mental commitments, court-ordered evictions, and prisoner transports.
Your Sheriff's Office is the Division F Law Enforcement point of contact for the State of Alabama Department of Homeland Defense. Covering a 10-county region, your sheriff's office oversees equipment packages directed to prevention and response with total equipment benefits totaling 2 million dollars and more. Due to the Sheriff's Office being an Alabama Constitutional office, deputies are not burdened by municipality limits and, when necessary, may cross county lines. Deputies are often called upon to assist agencies in surrounding counties, and when authorized, they enter another county to assist as needed.
Division Commander
Captain Tim Whisante
(256) 533-8833 Office
First Shift Patrol 0600-1600
Lieutenant Cody Davis
Sergeant Gary Cross
Sergeant Richard Jones
Second Shift Patrol 1500-0100
Lieutenant Ken Williams
Sergeant Morris Holmes
Sergeant Steven Hopkins
Third Shift Patrol 2100-0700
Lieutenant Matt Causey
Sergeant Richard Jones
Sergeant Brian Smith
Foster a relationship of accountability and transparency in everything we do in the sheriff's office. Strive to mentor employees and create an environment where they maintain the highest standards of honesty and ethics.