Washington County Sheriff's Office, Maryland - (240) 313-2100

This is the Offical Facebook Page of the Washington County Shierff's Office, Washington County, Maryland. This facebook page is for informational purposes only, this facebook page is not continually monitored. To report emergencies dial 9-1-1.

The first elected Sheriff of Washington County, Maryland was George Hershey who served from 1777 to 1780. There have been 79 Sheriffs in the history of Washington County to date. One of the more interesting chapters in the unbroken chain of Sheriffs is the term of Sheriff George Swearingen who began his term in 1827, however it was ended prematurely when he was arrested, convicted and hung for the murder of his wife in 1829.

In 1838, the Maryland Constitution was changed to provide for a separate County Tax Collector, thus relieving the Sheriff of that responsibility. In 1850, the Sheriff's term of office was reduced to two years. It remained a two-year term until 1946 when it was increased to four-year terms. The four-year term remains in place today.

The present Sheriff, Douglas W. Mullendore, is in his second term as Sheriff. He was re-elected in 2010 and has been with the Sheriff's Office since January, 1982. He came up through the ranks within the Sheriff's Office and was first elected Sheriff in 2006.

Tags: Law Enforcement