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Homeland Security 5 Year Anniversary 2003 - 2008, One Team, One Mission Securing the Homeland

Assistant Secretary, State and Local Law Enforcement: Edmund M. "Ted" Sexton

Sheriff Edmund M. “Ted” Sexton, Sr. has been a law enforcement officer for more than 30 years, serving his fifth term as the elected sheriff of Tuscaloosa County, Ala. He is currently on a military leave per the Code of Alabama, after being appointed by Secretary Michael Chertoff on January 20, 2008 as the first Assistant Secretary for State and Local Law Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  The assistant secretary’s responsibilities include leading the coordination department-wide of policies relating to state and local law enforcement’s role in preventing acts of terrorism and will also serve as the primary liaison between law enforcement agencies across the country and the Department.

Elected as president of the National Sheriffs' Association in 2005-2006, Sheriff Sexton is recognized as a progressive, goal-oriented law enforcement administrator among his peers in Alabama and the region, and was selected the Nation’s Outstanding Sheriff of the Year for 2007 by the National Sheriffs’ Association. 

While serving as sheriff, Sexton managed a sheriff’s office that has seen deputy activity increase by over 551%, the jail population by over 500%, and the population of the county by 19% (according to FBI statistics), while maintaining clearance rates above the national average.  For nearly three decades, Sheriff Sexton has worked aggressively to bring the highest level of education, training and professionalism not only to those directly under his command, but also to law enforcement officials throughout the area.

Prior to his leave, Sexton lead a force of approximately 200 employees and administered a budget of over $15 million. His jurisdiction covered 1,327 square miles and he oversaw operation of a 560-bed jail facility. Appointed point of contact for homeland security in Tuscaloosa County, he obtained $4,500,000 in equipment and technologies for Tuscaloosa County and served on the Alabama Homeland Security Director’s Law Enforcement Advisory Committee. Sexton served as the chair of the Alabama Mutual Aid Task Force for three years during its formation and is a sitting commissioner with the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission.  The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is the primary agency for the State of Alabama Region 3 Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Response Team, which has responded to five hurricanes and numerous other incidents since its inception.

Sheriff Sexton received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama.  He has also attended numerous seminars and specialty training schools, including the F.B.I. National Academy, the U.S. Secret Service Dignitary Protection Seminar, the National Sheriff’s Institute, the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy (where he is also an adjunct instructor), the Naval Post Graduate School Homeland Security Executive Leadership Program, and Landespolizeischula fur Diensthundfurher (State Police Dog Trainers School, Nord Rhein-Westphalia, Germany).  Sexton has also attended terrorism seminars in England, Israel and Pakistan. He is also a commercial instrument multi-engine rotorcraft licensed pilot.

This page was last modified on March 7, 2008