Chief Deputy Steven Tucker began his career with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in November 1991 in the Corrections Division. Steven was selected as a D.A.R.E. Officer in 1999, and he served in that role until 2006, teaching in the elementary, middle, and high school levels. In 2002, he developed the nationally award winning “Operation: Street Smart,” educating parents about current drug trends, terminology, and paraphernalia.
Promotions from Corporal to Lieutenant provided Steven the opportunity to lead in the Corrections Division and the Criminal Investigations Division. In September 2013, Steven was promoted to Major in the Criminal Investigations Division, where he oversaw the Detective Bureau, Special Investigations Unit, SWAT, Fugitive Squad, Civil Division, Emergency Management, Photo Lab, Concealed Carry Office, and the Property Room.
As Major of Investigations, Steven took tremendous pride in the relationships he developed with Ohio Homeland Security, the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Chief Deputy Tucker has served in the Incident Command for many large-scale events, such as Ohio State University football, Red, White and Boom, the Arnold Classic, Presidential visits, and election security.
A graduate of The Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs Public Safety Leadership Academy, Chief Deputy Tucker is proficient in project management, strategic planning in government, multi-agency collaboration and ethical leadership.
Units under Security Operations
Court Services Unit
The Court Services Unit performs the functions of prisoner transport and courtroom security. Comprised of a staff a combination of deputies and supervisors, the Court Services Unit serves the Court of Common Pleas, Municipal Court and the Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court. This unit utilizes 3 prisoner transport buses and 3 prisoner transport vans.
Common Pleas Court
The Common Pleas Section of Court Services provides deputies to maintain custody of prisoners appearing in courtrooms, providing security in the courtrooms, and ensuring paperwork generated during the court proceedings that is to accompany the inmates is appropriately processed. They also provide deputies for Civil Stalking Protection Order (CSPO) Court and the Domestic Relations/ Juvenile Court sections of Common Pleas.
Convey
Deputies assigned to Convey are responsible for the transporting of newly sentenced prisoners to State Institutions to begin their sentences. They also transport prisoners from state institutions, other county jails, State psychiatric hospitals, and youth camps to the Franklin County Corrections Center for Court appearances. This detail is equipped with two 10-passenger vans. The Convey unit is under the supervision of the Common Pleas Section supervisors and is comprised of four deputies.
Municipal Court
The Municipal Section of Court Services is tasked with transporting prisoners from the jails to both the Common Pleas and Municipal Courthouses for appearance before a judge, providing deputies to maintain custody of prisoners appearing in Municipal courtrooms, and ensuring paperwork generated during the court proceedings is appropriately processed. Deputies in this assignment operate three prisoner transport buses and one prisoner transport van.
Liaison
A Sergeant is also assigned as a liaison officer and works in conjunction with Columbus City Prosecutor and Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk’s Office personnel covering an array of functions necessary for effective prosecution of matters with which the Municipal court has authority. The Sheriff’s Liaison Office is the channel where communications between the various divisions of the Sheriff’s Office and the Courts travels. This Sergeant acts as the Section Sergeant in his absence.
Facility Security Unit
The Facility Security Unit is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for visitors and county employees in the eight structures comprising the government center in downtown Columbus, Ohio and several county agencies at various outlying locations.
The Facility Security Unit works with and collaborates with the supervisors and fifty five deputies of the Court Services Unit when responding to radio calls for assistance, duress alarm activations, threats to judges and calls for medical assistance in the Common Pleas Court House and on the Domestic and Juvenile Division floors of the government center.