The Barrow County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at the former Barrow County Courthouse in downtown Winder under the leadership of lifelong county resident Sheriff Jud Smith, is made up of four divisions: detention, uniform patrol, criminal investigations and administration.
The uniform patrol division is the most visible and is responsible for responding to calls and incidents, enforcing traffic laws throughout the county, serving civil papers and warrants, and working inside the schools. This division employs 58 deputies and supervisors and three civilians.
The detention division, which staffs and oversees the county's detention center, employs 102 trained officers and civilians and is headquartered at the new county courthouse facility at 652 Barrow Park Drive.
The criminal investigations division handles investigations related to property crimes, crimes against persons and narcotics-related crimes.
The administration division provides support for the other units, overseeing employee services, training, recordskeeping, public services, information technology and court security.