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Founded in 1822, Lorain County spans 432 square miles and its current population of 301,356 ranks it as the ninth largest of Ohio’s 88 counties. Named after the French Province of Lorraine, Lorain County is located on the shore of Lake Erie about 25 minutes west of downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

The Sheriff’s Office is located at 9896 Murray Ridge Road in Elyria Ohio. Its staff of 223 consists of Sheriff’s Deputies, Corrections Officers, records, civil, maintenance, medical and administrative office personnel. The current yearly operating budget is approximately $17 million dollars. By law, the Sheriff’s Office has charge of the jail, a 24 hour-a-day full service correctional facility.

The Lorain County Jail houses up to 422 male and female inmates. The Sheriff is also required to maintain a secure court system, transport prisoners to and from state institutions, holding facilities, court appearances and extraditions from other states.

The Sheriff’s Deputies patrol over 357 square miles of township roads providing law enforcement services to over 63,000 residents in 18 townships. For faster operations, officers have access to 7 sub-stations strategically placed throughout the county. Constructed by the providing Townships, Deputies use the stations to write reports, conduct interviews and follow up on investigations. The Sheriff’s Office also provides enforcement services, security, and crowd control for special events such as county fairs, concerts and sporting events.

The Sheriff’s Office is the agency primarily responsible for the service or “delivery” of legal documents throughout the county’s cities and townships. This includes summonses, subpoenas, and lawsuits. Sheriff’s also do evictions, repossessions and seize and sell property as ordered by the court.

The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for maintaining the sex offender registry for all sex offenders residing in Lorain County’s cities and townships. The Sheriff is also required to verify each sex offender’s address and conduct neighborhood notifications on offenders with a sexual predator or tier III offender classification.

As a part of the community the Sheriff provides programs such as D.A.R.E., Neighborhood Watch and Child ID program.