Explore Your Passion

Our Support Services Employees contribute to HCSO’s mission in a number of ways, such as these:

Human Resources

Our HR Team performs human resource management functions, such as finding, hiring, training, and supporting new employees. As a result, they are responsible for such important tasks as reviewing resumes, keeping track of employee information, and ensuring HCSO complies with labor laws and employment standards.  HR keeps track of documents, including employee records related to attendance, vacations, medical leave, and other employee data. This helps demonstrate that the organization complies with labor regulations and collective bargaining agreements about working hours and conditions. One of the most important roles of HR,  is to ensure that employees receive the correct salary and benefits based on their employment status, hours worked, and pay rates.  HR also provides objective guidance to managers and employees on people-related matters. This work is done through a combination of day-to-day support for employees, project work, and long-term strategic planning.

Bureau of Records

Identification Unit

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Identification Unit is a team of highly skilled professionals adept at utilizing advanced biometric data, including DNA, Facial Recognition, Fingerprints, and secure law enforcement databases to establish and verify identities. Our Identification Technicians meticulously examine and cross-reference this data against a comprehensive range of law enforcement databases to ensure accurate identification. Once logged and categorized, our systems perform detailed biometric comparisons with data from unsolved crime scenes.  The results are promptly reported to the respective investigating agency, expediting their investigation. Additionally, our unit dutifully forwards arrest-related information and critical biometric data onto the State of Ohio, playing a pivotal role in enhancing law enforcement efforts and bolstering public safety.

Central Warrant
Processing Unit

This unit is responsible for the processing of official court documents and ensuring their necessary entry into detailed and confidential computer databases only accessible by law enforcement.  These documents include Criminal Warrants, Orders of Protection, Missing Persons, Stolen Vehicles, and numerous others.  They work closely with all Hamilton County courts and law enforcement agencies, primarily the Sheriff’s Patrol Section and the Cincinnati Police Department.  These Process Officers maintain these law enforcement databases with the utmost attention to detail to ensure the safety of the general public as well as the safety of all law enforcement.

Records

The primary role of the Records Section is processing thousands of background checks completed each year.  These background checks are completed for numerous law enforcement agencies, military agencies, the general public, and many others.  Additionally, they enter arrest records and traffic tickets into local law enforcement databases for both the Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Highway Patrol. 

Statistics

This section processes thousands of Criminal and Traffic Expungements, as well as Sealed Court Orders each year.  These responsibilities include ensuring the removal of all data related to those court orders and the corresponding arrests.  This data needs to be removed from multiple levels of a person’s criminal history thus making it a very methodical process.  They are also partially responsible for all statistics related to functions conducted on a daily basis by the Sheriff’s Patrol Section.  Additionally, they assist and work closely with the Records Section.   

Carry Concealed Licensing

This unit processes Concealed Carry License applications from the general public, law enforcement personnel and active/retired veterans.  They perform computerized criminal history background checks through all required law enforcement databases.  They strictly follow guidelines set forth by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office when approving or denying applications.  Additionally, they follow similar guidelines when suspending or revoking license holders previously issued permits.  This unit also frequently communicates with and assists other law enforcement agencies with all things related to licensing.  

Jail Services Support Staff

Intake

The Intake Department is the cornerstone of Corrections.  This area ensures the inmate or detainee is legally admitted to the jail. They make sure that the arresting, transporting, or committing officer is identified by name and department and has the proper paperwork to commit the inmate to jail.  The Data Entry Operator in Intake is responsible for booking and identification records to be entered into the criminal databases for the criminal justice system.  Making sure that every inmate booked into the jail on a new arrest is entered into the Clerk’s management system to get placed on the court docket for their initial court appearance.  They also are the last area that runs the inmates through criminal databases before they are released.

Property

The Property Department is responsible for all of the personal property that is collected and accepted from individuals who are arrested and legally admitted. Account Clerk’s in this area are responsible for taking all of the property and inventory and entering it into the criminal justice system.  This includes the money taken from the inmate at the time of arrest.  They also are responsible for releasing this property once the inmate is scheduled to be released.

Classifications

Classifications are one of the most important tools in the jail.   The Classification personnel interview and assess each incoming inmate during the admissions process, classifying approximately 1000 new inmates a month. The Classification personnel determine the security level of each inmate using a system that involves a series of related decisions. The process of classification involves determining inmate’s risks and needs and assigning them to different locations and correct security levels throughout the jail.  Initial classification decisions determine the inmate’s housing locations and programs are consistent with those needs. Classification personnel determine the eligibility for inmates to attend certain drug treatment facilities and Inmate Work Programs while incarcerated.

Social Services

Social Service Personnel provide crisis intervention and counseling to inmates and families when required (e.g., death notifications, fatal illness, etc.).  The Social Service Specialist acts as the liaison between inmates, institutions, families, service agencies, attorneys, etc.  They assess inmates’ needs to identify appropriate programs/ services (e.g., substance abuse, child abuse, medical problems, housing, etc.); and assist inmates in requests/ referrals to outside placement programs. The Social Service Specialist responds to inmate requests for problem references (e.g., incarcerations, stress, frustrations, fear, etc.); identifies inmates with special needs (e.g., deaf, mute, non-English speaking, illiterates, etc.); contacts appropriate agencies to protect the rights of inmates; performs release/post-release planning; refers inmates for in-house programs and counseling (e.g., AA, Chaplain, education classes, etc.).

Jail Records

Jail Records is considered the heart of the justice center. Thousands of inmates are arrested and admitted into the Jail each year.   The Jail Records specialists are responsible for keeping accurate and detailed information up to date on the current inmates while they are incarcerated.  They update their bond amounts, court dates, and sentences.  The latter is the most complex and detail-oriented.  The Jail Records Specialist makes sure that the sentence is calculated correctly and all past time incarceration is credited. 

This area is in constant contact with the courts to make sure that we are following what the Judge ordered.  They also contact jail records to calculate jail credit for them. Jail Records Specialist handles all of the extraditions for those inmates that are wanted by outside jurisdictions. The specialist will have the inmate sign the extradition waiver, schedule them for the extradition hearings, and make arrangements with the agency for pick up. 

Jail Records is responsible for scheduling, sentencing paperwork, and communication with the Bureau of Sentence computation to send inmates to the Ohio Department of Corrections to prepare them for intake. The Jail Records Specialist is responsible for running all releases through the criminal databases and coordinating with various outside departments such as United States Marshals, ATF, River City, Adult Parole, Adult Probation, EMD, Summit Behavioral, and all of the Municipalities of Hamilton County for release.