History

Sheriff's Office History

Thomas Dalphus Bickham

Thomas Bickham was elected Sheriff of Washington Parish in 1878 and served 6 years as Sheriff.
Francis Martin Brown

Francis Brown was elected Sheriff of Washington Parish in 1884 and served 2 terms. After the death of Henry Burkhalter in 1899, Brown was appointed Sheriff until an election could be held in 1900.
Henry S. Burkhalter

Henry Burkhalter was elected Sheriff of Washington Parish in 1892 and was re-elected in 1896. Sheriff Henry Burkhalter was accidentally shot and killed when a deputy’s shotgun discharged while in search of family members wanted for murder.
Henry Norman Simmons

Henry Simmons was elected Sheriff of Washington Parish in 1900. He took the oath of office in 1901, but resigned on July 20, 1903 for an unknown reason. Simmons's brother, Thomas J. Simmons, filled his brother’s unexpired term, and Henry Simmons remained a deputy while his brother was Sheriff.
Joe N. Magee

Joe Magee served as Sheriff from 1904-1912. After leaving the Sheriff’s Office, Magee was employed by the Great Southern Lumber Company in Bogalusa. Later, he was appointed District Game Warden, a position he held until his death.
Thomas Jefferson Simmons, Jr.

In 1903, Thomas Simmons finished the unexpired term of his brother, Norman Simmons. He was elected Sheriff in 1912 but was defeated for re-election.
Jason E. Bateman

Jason Bateman was elected Sheriff in 1916 and held the position for 2 terms.
Hardy Chesley Richardson

Hardy Richardson was elected Sheriff in 1924 and held the office for eight years.
Jeptha Latimer Brock

Jeptha Brock was elected Sheriff in 1932 and held the office for eight years.
Lloyd H. Mulina

Lloyd Mulina was elected Sheriff and served two terms 1940-1948. He served as Sheriff during World War II.
Dorman A. Crowe

Dorman A. Crowe was Sheriff for 20 years and 1 month 1948-1968. He is the only Sheriff who held office for 4 terms.

He also was the first Sheriff to hire African American deputies.
Notable Date in WPSO History

Oneal Moore and David Creed Rogers were the first African Americans hired as Washington Parish Sheriff’s deputies.
Willie J. Blair

Willie J. Blair was elected Sheriff and held the position from July 1, 1968, until June 30, 1980.
Robert Earl Lyons

Robert Lyons was elected Sheriff in 1979 and took office July 1, 1980. He served as Sheriff until July 1982 when he resigned.
Notable Date in WPSO History

Washington Parish Sheriff’s office upgrades from an old Western Union teletype machine to a million-dollar state-owned UTS-400 teletype.
Billy L. Gill

Billy Gill was appointed Sheriff on July 1, 1982, when Robert L. Lyons resigned. He was the first Chief Criminal Deputy appointed Sheriff in Washington parish since this law went into effect. He held this position until December 9, 1982.
Benny Rayburn

Benny Rayburn served as Sheriff of Washington Parish from 1982 until 1992.
Duane Blair

Duane Blair served as Deputy Sheriff for his father, Willie J. Blair until 1980 when he left the Sheriff’s Office.

He was elected Sheriff and took office July 1, 1992. He instituted the program, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and the Triad Program for Senior Citizens. He also computerized the department.
Jewell Scott Blair

Scott Blair began his law enforcement career in 1975 working for his uncle, Sheriff Willie J. Blair. Blair left the Sheriff’s office in 1977 and returned in 1992 as Chief Criminal Deputy for his cousin Sheriff Duane Blair.

He became Sheriff in May 2001 after Duane Blair resigned. He remained Sheriff until November of that year when Aubrey Jones was elected to fill the unexpired term of Duane Blair.
Aubrey Jones

Aubrey Jones was employed by the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office for 9 ½ years before being elected Sheriff. He served as Sheriff for 6 ½ years from November 27, 2001, until June 30, 2008.
Robert Crowe

Robert Crowe was elected Sheriff and took office in 2008. He served until 2012. Crowe was the first Sheriff to hire a CPA for the Chief Civil Deputy and have an attending Physician for jail Inmates.
Randy Seal

Randy Seal was elected Sheriff in 2011 serving three consecutive terms. His term ended on June 30, 2024, leaving the office with a debt-free status.
Notable Date in WPSO History

Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office Fallen Heroes Memorial Wall Unveiling Ceremony.
Notable Date in WPSO History

Washington Parish Sheriff’s deputies were equipped with body cameras to increase and promote transparency and accountability within the ranks and community.
Jason Smith

Jason Smith was elected Sheriff in November 2023 winning by 60% of the votes by the citizens of Washington Parish. He officially took office on July 1, 2024.