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In 1812, Mobile County was formed as part of the Alabama
territory of the United States. According to records Theodore Brightwell was
the first Sheriff serving from 1812-1814. After Brightwell, Daniel Duval became
Sheriff and served from 1814 until 1822. It was during this time that Alabama
entered the Union as the 22nd state, and the City of Mobile was incorporated,
both events occurring in 1819.
Twenty-six men served as the Sheriff of Mobile County between
1812 and 1900. Among their ranks are a number of familiar names such as Duval,
Roper, Toulmin, and Holcombe - names now associated with area streets and
communities. Since 1900, ten men have held the office of Sheriff bringing the
total number of men to serve as Sheriff to thirty-six.
Since 1900 the list of men who held the office of Sheriff is as
follows:
| Sheriff |
Duration
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| Sam Cochran |
2006 - present
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| Jack Tillman |
1995 - 2006 |
| Tom Purvis |
1975 - 1995 |
| Ray Bridges |
1954 - 1975 |
| William H. Holcombe |
1938 - 1954
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| Robert L. Holcombe |
1934 - 1938 |
| William H. Holcombe, Jr |
1930 - 1934 |
| Pat Byrne |
1926 - 1930 |
| Leon Schwarz |
1924 - 1926 |
| Paul G. Cazales |
1922 - 1924 |
| William H. Holcombe |
1914 - 1922 |
| Thomas T. Palmer |
1910 - 1914 |
| John S. Drago |
1909 - 1910 |
| Frank Cazales, Sr |
1906 - 1909 |
| John F. Powers |
1900 - 1906 |
Today, the Sheriff's Office relies heavily on computers and
information sharing. It has incorporated less than lethal weapons into its
arsenal and has placed strong emphasis on training.
The Mobile County Sheriff's Office is responsible for running
the Mobile Metro Jail. The jail has a designed capacity of 816. The adjoining
jail barracks, which houses inmates who qualify as trustees, has a 328 person
capacity bringing the jail complex to a designed capacity to 1,144.
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