Our Heritage
How We Began
The roots of law enforcement in Beaufort County date to the early 1700s, when the area was part of Bath County in colonial North Carolina. Prior to 1726, a single Provost Marshal served the entire province. In 1726, John Bonde became the first dedicated Provost Marshal for Bath County.
From 1726 to 1738, the Provost Marshal was the county's chief law officer. In 1729, Bath County was dissolved, and the Beaufort Precinct was established as a county. In 1738, the title changed to Sheriff. William Ormond was appointed as Beaufort County's first Sheriff. This transition from Provost Marshal to Sheriff laid the foundation for today's Beaufort County Sheriff's Office—one of North Carolina's oldest continuous law enforcement agencies.
Content Source: Beaufort County: Two Centuries of Its History, Page 224.
Past Sheriffs
Below are the past Sheriffs of Beaufort County, beginning with Scott Hammonds, the current Sheriff, and continuing to Robert T. Hodges, the last Sheriff recorded in the above content source. Special thanks to the George H. & Laura E. Brown Library for their assistance in compiling this information. We will continue to update this information as able. If you have quality pictures of any of these sheriffs, please consider sharing them with us to help honor our past Sheriffs.
Other Historical Photos
Over the past few decades, Beaufort County has seen significant changes in policing styles and law enforcement services. To stay proactive, the agency operates as a full-service law enforcement agency divided into seven divisions: Patrol, Administration, Investigations, Telecommunications, Special Operations, Support Services, and Detention.
Share Your Photos
If you have any photos pertaining to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, or if you would like to provide information about the photos shown on this page, we would love for you to help us honor our heritage by sharing that information with us. Use the form below to get started!