our address
Accomack County Sheriff's Office
23323 Wise Ct.
Accomac, Virginia 23301
introduction
Hello. I am Todd E. Godwin and it is my privilege to serve as Sheriff for the great citizens of Accomack County. I began my law enforcement career in 1985 as an officer with the Parksley Police Department followed by employment with the Virginia State Police as a weight enforcement officer in 1987. I then joined the sheriff's office in 1990 as a patrol deputy and became the county's first K-9 deputy in 1994 with my partner, Nitro I was promoted to corporal in 1995 and patrol lieutenant 1999. In January of 20...08 I was promoted to chief deputy, second in command, with the rank of major. As lieutenant, I was responsible for the day to day operations of the uniform patrol division, including the SWAT team, K-9 units, dive teams and dispatch. As chief deputy I was responsible for the management of all dapartment divisions to include law enforcement, corrections, courtroom security/civil process, communications, animal control and the animal control facility
In addition to my training at the Peninsula Tidewater Academy of Criminal Justice and the Virginia State Police Academy I have received training in numerous areas during my career. Those areas include lawful employment practice, freedom of information training, managing jail risk and liability, budgeting for criminal justice executives, FBI first line supervisor school, liability issues for K-9 handlers, raid liability and planning, FEMA national incident management system ICS-100,200,700,300 and 400. Breath alcohol operator course, vehicle inspection course, uniform drug interdiciton training, SWAT training, basic and advance patrol/narcotic K-9 schools, street survival and tactical use of police K-9, basic radar, domestic violence training, community policing in small town and rural areas, basic animal control school and gang training.
The Accomack County Sheriff's Office consist of 75 sworn and non-sworn personnel. I am a member of the Eastern Shore of Virginia 911 commission, member of the Chesapeake Bay ASAP policy board and a member of the Eastern Shore Regional Jail board.
After the retirement of Sheriff Larry Giddens, I was appointed sheriff August 1, 2011.
Accomack County Facts
Some facts about the county we serve:
Accomack County, formerly Accomac Shire, is a U.S. county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 33,164. Its county seat is Accomac.
Area
- Total - 1,310 sq mi
- Land - 455 sq mi
- Water - 855 sq mi (65.25%)
Brief History
An English expedition landed in the region in 1603, some years before the Jamestown Colony. Captain John Smith visited again in 1608. The native Accawmacke nation numbered around 2000, and were governed by a paramount chief Debedeavon, also known as "The Laughing King". He became a staunch ally to the English, and bestowed them several large land grants within his dwindling territory.
Accomac Shire was established in 1634 as one of the original eight shires of Virginia. The shire's name comes from the Native American word Accawmack, meaning "on the other side". In 1642 the name was changed to Northampton by the English, to eliminate "heathen" names in the New World. Northampton was split into two counties in 1663. The northern section assumed the original Accomac name, the southern, Northampton. In 1940, the General Assembly officially added a "k" to the end of the county's name to arrive at its current spelling. The name of "Accomack County" first appeared in the Decisions of the United States Board on Geographical Names in 1943.
The first Sheriff in the United States, William Stone, was appointed to serve Accomack County in 1634.
In 1670, the Virginia Colony's Royal Governor William Berkeley abolished Accomac County, but the Virginia General Assembly re-created it in 1671.
Unlike most of Virginia, during the Civil War, the county was not under Confederate control, but held by the forces of the United States government.