The Denver Sheriff Department, led by Sheriff Elias Diggins, comprises over 1,100 uniformed and non-uniformed staff overseeing many diverse divisions and operations including two jail facilities, security for the district and county court systems, state inmate transportation, extradition duties, fugitive and K-9 units, a vehicle impound facility, and security at Denver Health & Medical Center.
The mission of the Denver Sheriff Department is to provide safe and secure custody for those placed in our care and to perform all of our duties in a manner that is responsive to the needs of our diverse community.
The Denver Sheriff Department is committed to being a model law enforcement agency by:
- Being dedicated to our employees, maintaining a department based on a solid foundation of open, honest communication, quality leadership, training and mutual support
- Earning the respect and confidence of our diverse communities by maintaining a covenant of public trust
- Being committed to best practices
On December 2, 1902, the Denver Sheriff Department (DSD) was established. In 120 years, the DSD has undergone changes in facilities, locations, and operations. In addition to longstanding duties, the DSD now provides security for the courts, civil services, and much more. Among all this change, however, there is one thing that remains constant: the commitment and dedication of those who build their career within this department.
What began with a handful of employees has grown into the largest sheriff department in the state of Colorado which, at capacity, accommodates over 1,100 uniformed and civilian positions. The passage of time has witnessed a transition from handwritten or typed documents to a state-of-the-art digital jail management system and other such technological advances.
Facilities have kept pace with current times since the founding of the Denver Sheriff Department. Two facilities – the Van Cise-Simonet Downtown Detention Center (DDC) and the Denver County Jail (COJL) – are the most notable in this regard.
Initially, the city jail was located on the fourth floor of police headquarters, then moved to the Pre-Arraignment Detention Facility (PADF) until the DDC broke ground in 2010. The DDC is named for Philip S. Van Cise (former Denver district attorney) and Louis John Simonet (18 years as undersheriff). It was built in 2010 to serve as the city jail, housing people who have been detained while they await trial.
After opening in 1956, the COJL saw a great deal of demolition, renovations, and expansions to accommodate the ever-growing Denver population and institute direct supervision pods, which are used for the long-term care and custody of inmates.
Floors six and seven of Building 24 at the COJL were recently the focus of a groundbreaking remodel. As a result, since 2021, females in DSD custody have been housed in a space specifically designed for them. Experts from within the DSD, and the greater community, worked together to ensure the construction of a gender-responsive and trauma-informed design for women spending time in jail. Historically, jails have been designed to accommodate men; a modernized environment built deliberately for incarcerated women, in conjunction with investment from the City and County of Denver, is truly a progressive model – one that correctional facilities across America will surely follow for years to come.
The DSD has faced many challenges over the years, prompting a department-wide reform effort in August 2014. A subsequent top-to-bottom, independent review of the DSD resulted in more than 400 recommendations. Four years later, in August 2018, the tremendous effort of implementing and validating hundreds of recommendations was completed with only three pending technology-related recommendations. The reform impacted DSD culture and its organizational structure, resulting in the institution of continuous performance improvement and the use of data to inform decision-making and the betterment of the department’s organizational health.
Prior to 2017, the DSD strategic plan – managed by the DSD finance team – focused on how the department budget impacted performance. In 2017, in partnership with a contracted vendor and influenced by employee feedback, the DSD leadership team developed a comprehensive and malleable strategic plan, meant to be regularly reevaluated and updated. It builds upon successes within four major pillars, each with its own objectives and action plan: organizational culture, employee experience, inmate wellness, and community partnerships. A year after it was implemented, in 2018, executive leaders began updating the focus areas – tactics, feedback mechanisms, and data measurements – of each pillar. Then, in 2019, as part of the commitment to continuous improvement, the DSD updated the original strategic plan by rolling out the DSD Strategic Plan 2.0. As the department continues to evolve and meet the needs of its employees and the Denver community, the Strategic Plan 2.0. is being reviewed and will receive an update in the later part of 2022.
While the DSD was working toward an overall shift in strategy, it was also responding to an unexpected health crisis that afflicted the planet. The World Health Organization, on March 11, 2020, declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. In partnership with Denver Health (DH) medical staff, DSD leadership determined that aggressive and proactive testing protocols would be one of the most important tools in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 within jail facilities.
On March 25, 2020, the DSD implemented a screening policy to ensure every person who was symptomatic upon being booked into custody would be immediately tested. By April 27, 2020, testing protocols were expanded to include all people being booked into custody, regardless of whether symptoms were present. This policy was implemented after new research identified the significance of COVID-19 spread via asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases. This early action allowed the DSD to closely monitor trends in in-custody cases and take preemptive steps to monitor spread.
The DSD was the first to introduce aggressive testing among people in custody, acting weeks and sometimes months before similar protocols were implemented in nearby jurisdictions. While the DSD relied on comprehensive laboratory testing, the agency also expanded screening questions to include COVID-19 symptoms and implemented temperature checks for all incoming bookings. The DSD and DH medical staff began distributing COVID-19 vaccines to individuals in custody in March 2021.
As the largest sheriff department in the state of Colorado, and after rising above so many strenuous challenges, it is an honor to be recognized by the National Sheriff’s Association with the Triple Crown Award. This award is representative of receiving simultaneous accreditation from three main facility auditors for demonstrating a commitment to best practices: the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the American Correctional Association (ACA), and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). The DSD continually strives to lead with humanity in every way and meet the needs of the Denver community with grace. Here's to the next 120 years!
Black Sheriff's Protection Association
The Black Sheriff's Protective Association was established in 1976. Its purpose is to further the development and maintenance of professionalism in law enforcement, to strike racial degradation, and to improve relationships between DSD and the community.
Visit the BSPA on Facebook
Denver Sheriff Latino Organization (DSLO)
The goal of the National Latino Peace Officers Association is to promote equality and professionalism in law enforcement. The objectives of the organization are to create a fraternal/professional Association that provides its members and members of the community with career training; conferences and workshops to promote education and career advancement; mentoring; and a strong commitment to community service.
Contact the LPOA via online via form submission
Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 27
TheFraternal Order of Police is the world's largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 330,000 members in more than 2,200 lodges. We are the voice of those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving our communities. We are committed to improving the working conditions of law enforcement officers and the safety of those we serve through education, legislation, information, community involvement, and employee representation. No one knows the dangers and the difficulties faced by today's police officers better than another officer, and no one knows police officers better than the FOP.
International Association of Women Police (IAWP)
Mission: To strengthen, unite, and raise the capacity of women in policing internationally.
Vision: IAWP envisions a world where police reflect the diversity of the communities they serve and where human rights are protected. To learn more about IAWP visit their website and Facebook.
Latin American Law Enforcement Association (LALEY)
LALEY aims to promote the advancement of Latinos and other underrepresented groups in the department and to improve the department’s relationship with the community by protecting the rights of others and promoting camaraderie through social activities. Members are committed to mentoring and assisting one another and advocating for the equal representation of all members of the Denver Sheriff Department.
To learn more about the Latin American Law Enforcement Association, visit their website.
Teamsters Union, Local 17
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters mission is to organize and educate workers towards a higher standard of living.
There are currently 1.4 million members under 21 Industrial Divisions that include virtually every occupation imaginable, both professional and non professional, private sector and public sector.
To learn more about the Teamsters Local 17, visit their website. To learn more about the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, visit their website. Visit and join the Teamsters Local 17 on Facebook.
DSD LGBTQ+ Community Liaison
The Denver Sheriff Department LGBTQ+ Liaison specifically addresses issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community within the department. The liaison is open-minded, fair, and impartial and develops working partnerships with members of this diverse community. The DSD is committed to being a model law enforcement agency by earning the respect and confidence of our communities by maintaining a covenant of public trust.
LGBTQ+ organizations and community members who would like to provide a service, act as a resource, or are interested in having a DSD LGBTQ+ Community Liaison attend their meeting or function, may contact us via email at DSDLGBTQLiaison@DenverGov.org.
Elias Diggins was sworn in as the Sheriff of Denver (CO) in July 2020. He has been with the Denver Sheriff Department since 1994, holding all uniform ranks with various assignments during his career. He is a staunch supporter of both the community and the men and the women of the Denver Sheriff Department. He is a Colorado native and grew up in the east Denver neighborhood of Montbello.
He is a nationally recognized law enforcement official and a past-president of the American Jail Association (AJA). During his term as AJA President, he introduced an initiative titled "Gender Equity in Jails Across America," which has also been adopted by the Department of Justice-National Institute of Corrections. He is the recipient of several honors from various organizations, including the prestigious Legacy Award from the Association of Women Executives in Corrections. As an advocate for the mental health community, he created a cabinet-level position in his administration titled, “Chief of Mental Health Services,” and hired a licensed psychologist to fill the role.
Sheriff Diggins is a Certified Correctional Executive through the American Correction Association (ACA), where he is also a former auditor, former commissioner, and the past-chair for ACA's Commission on Accreditation for Corrections. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Metropolitan State University of Denver.