The Harris County Sheriff's Office, founded in 1837, is the largest sheriff's office in Texas and the third largest in the United States. The HCSO has nearly 4600 employees and 200 reservists dedicated to ensuring the safety of over 4.1 million residents who call Harris County home. Harris County encompasses 1788 square miles (1729 land) and includes forty-one incorporated municipalities.

Harris County is a burgeoning and vast metropolitan area - home to one of the most culturally rich cities in the nation. The Harris County Sheriff's Office is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and secure community. The partnership between our organization and you, the residents of Harris County, is critical in the fight against crime.

The HCSO is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The Commission was established in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement's major executive associations. The HCSO became accredited in 2002 and is the largest law enforcement agency in Texas to receive this professional designation. We are also the largest Sheriff’s Office in the nation to be accredited. Learn more about Harris County, Texas.

Harris County Sheriff's Office: 1837 - Present

The county was founded on December 30, 1835, as Harrisburg County and organized on March 1, 1836. The name was changed to Harris County on December 28, 1839. Harris County is named for John Richardson Harris, an early settler of the area.

John Moore was sworn in as the first sheriff of what was then called Harrisburg County in February 1837. Among the oldest law enforcement agencies in Texas, the department has grown from a single man on horseback to a modern agency.

A History of HCSO Sheriffs