Yuma County Sheriff's Office

YCSO History

Yuma County was formerly part of the New Mexico Territory and Yuma County was known as Dona Ana County. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation to create the Arizona Territory. The first Territorial Legislature convened in Prescott in 1864. One of the first tasks accomplished by the Legislature was to divide the new territory into four counties: Mohave, Pima, Yavapai and Yuma. The first county seat of Yuma County was established on November 8, 1864 at La Paz.

At the same time the County was established in 1864, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office was created. The long and honorable history of Yuma County Sheriffs began with Sheriff Isaac Bradshaw who served from June 18, 1864 to September 10, 1864. Until 1871 the main office of the Sheriff’s Department was located in La Paz, Arizona. Sheriff Oscar Frank Townsend transferred all county records from La Paz to Arizona City. Two years later Arizona City’s name was changed to Yuma.

In 1982, Yuma County was divided into two separate counties with the northern portion of the county becoming La Paz County. La Paz County became Arizona’s fifteenth county with 4,800 square miles of territory.

Today Yuma County is 5,561 square miles in area. In order to ensure adequate patrols in all areas of the County, the Sheriff’s Office divided the County into six patrol areas or districts which are patrolled the department’s 68 deputies.

	District One is south of the Colorado River to County 10th Street including everything east of Avenue A to Avenue 7E (North of County 10th Street); and south of County 10th Street to County 17th Street including everything east of Avenue A to Avenue 8E. District One also includes area north of the Colorado River, east of the Quechan Indian Reservation. The area is commonly referred to as “the island”.
	District Two is south of the Colorado River to County 15th Street including everything west of Avenue A to the Colorado River.
	District Three is south of County 15th Street to the Mexico border including everything east of the Colorado River to Avenue A. District Three includes everything south of County 17th Street to the Mexico border, east of Avenue A to Avenue 8E.
	Foothills District includes everything south of Mittry Lake, north of County 10th Street and east of Avenue 7E to Avenue 8E; and everything east of Avenue 8E to the Gila Mountains and south of County 10th Street to the Mexico border.
	District Four is everything north of Mittry Lake to the county line which includes Martinez Lake, Hidden Shores, YPG, and the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. The west boundary is the Colorado River.

District Five is everything east of the Gila Mountains to the Maricopa/Pima County line and south to the Mexico border.

The 1990 census conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that the population in Yuma County was 106,889. According to the 2000 census also conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the population for Yuma County is 160,026. This reflects a 49.7% increase in population.

During the months of October through April, the population of Yuma County increases by approximately 90,000 people with the influx of winter visitors and persons associated with winter agriculture.