About Us

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office is a public service organization that is dedicated to providing the best possible service to the citizens of Yuma County. The powers and duties of the Sheriff, as governed by the Arizona Revised Statutes § 11-441, include preserving the peace; taking charge of the county jail, including a county jail under the jurisdiction of a county jail district, and the prisoners in the county jail; serve process and notices; and conducting search and rescue operations within the county involving the life or health of any person.

Sheriff’s Office Organization

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office is comprised of three bureaus:

Administration Bureau: The Administration Bureau provides support services to both the Detention and Patrol Bureaus in such critical areas as Finance, Payroll, Human Resources, Information Technology, Purchasing and Civil Processing.

Detention Bureau: The Detention Bureau provides for the care, custody and control of prisoners with the intent to reduce recidivism in Yuma County through education and services provided to prisoners both accused of or convicted of crimes. This bureau is headed by a Captain and four Lieutenants.

Patrol Bureau: The Patrol Bureau is responsible for patrol activity throughout the unincorporated areas of the county to enforce laws and conduct crime prevention activities. This bureau is comprised of the Patrol Division, Boating Safety & Enforcement Unit (Boat Patrol), Criminal Investigations Bureau, Office of Professional Responsibility, Communications Department (Dispatch), Evidence Department and the Volunteer units. The bureau is headed by a Captain and three Lieutenants.

Yuma County Geography

Yuma County is in southwest Arizona. It is bordered on the west by California, on the south by Mexico, on the east by both Maricopa and Pima Counties, and on the north and northwest by La Paz County. The lowest point in the state of Arizona is located on the Colorado River in San Luis in Yuma County, where it flows out of Arizona and into Sonora, Mexico.

In 1983, voters approved to split Yuma County and so it 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 a total of 4,513.36 square miles of territory. The split reduced the size of Yuma County to 5,518.96 square miles in area of which 5,514.09 square miles is land and 4.87 square miles is water.

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.

Yuma County Population

The 2000 census conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that the population in Yuma County was 160,026. According to the 2010 census also conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the population for Yuma County is 195,751. This reflects a 22.32% increase in population from the 2000 census. According to the 2020 census, the population in Yuma County is 203,881.

As of July 1, 2022, the population in Yuma County was estimated to be 207,842. (Yuma County Quick Facts from the U.S. Census Bureau).

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.