The Collier County Sheriff’s Office was created on July 7, 1923 when William Riley “W.R.” Maynard as Sheriff of a brand new county that was carved out of southernmost Lee County.

 Wild and rugged, Collier County was referred to as “Florida’s last frontier.” In December 1926 while Sheriff Maynard was away, his wife, accompanied by her two-year-old son, led a posse to pursue and successfully capture three fugitives in the Everglades.

The South West Mounted Police (whose members are now recognized as CCSO deputies) was established after the completion of the Tamiami Trail in 1928. Officers and their wives were stationed every ten miles along the Tamiami Trail as it ran through the Everglades to Miami. Officers mounted their Harley Davidson motorcycles and patrolled their areas while their wives remained at their assigned station helping to meet the needs of travelers.

Lewis J. Thorp  took over as Sheriff after Sheriff Maynard resigned in 1928. Sheriff Thorp kept the frontier feel with his expertise of a bull whip.  Sheriff Thorp served until his death in 1954.

Chief Deputy Roy O. Atkins was then appointed as Sheriff and served until E.A. Doug Hendry was elected in 1956.

Sheriff Hendry hired Aubrey Rogers, who he had previously worked with at the Fort Myers Police Department, as his chief deputy. Sheriff Rogers replaced Hendry in 1975 and served until his retirement in 1989.

Sheriff Rogers was succeeded by his former Chief Deputy, Don Hunter, who was elected in 1988. Sheriff Hunter served until he retired from the office 20 years later.

Sheriff Kevin Rambosk began his public safety career in Collier County as a Naples Police Department officer in 1978. He rose to the rank of City Manager before coming to CCSO in 2003 as Captain of the Organized Crime Division. He soon was promoted and served as the agency’s second in command before he was elected Sheriff in 2008. He has since been re-elected four times. Under the leadership of Sheriff Rambosk Collier County has earned the status of being the safest metropolitan county in Florida.