First Lieutenant Derrick Ledford was recently promoted to Captain and is now Chief of the Civil Enforcement Branch.
Prior joining the Sheriff’s Office, Captain Ledford served 14 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and was a gunnery sergeant. His long-time goal, however, was to get into the law enforcement field. A fellow Marine, with whom he served for many years, left the Marines a year before Ledford, and was hired as a Fairfax County Sheriff’s deputy. He spoke very positively about the agency, so Ledford applied the following year and was also hired by the Sheriff’s Office.
During his 20-year tenure as a Sheriff’s deputy, Ledford has worked in confinement, civil enforcement, special projects, classification, court security, and inmate programs/recreation.
What were his favorite assignments? He names two and for different reasons. He was selected for a two-year special assignment, helping the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force investigate, locate and apprehend individuals with outstanding federal warrants in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. He would team up with partner agencies including the Fairfax Police Department, Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Secret Service and Marshals Service.
The assignment put him in front of many people, including the families of the individuals he arrested. He deescalated many situations and felt like he was making a difference. “As an African American pursuing individuals of different cultures, I found that they often could relate to me and I to them. I conveyed advice about avoiding criminal actions moving forward. It was a very interesting dynamic.”
The other assignment he loved was at the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health (previously called Merrifield Crisis Response Center), using his Crisis Intervention Team training. “I have an autistic granddaughter. After becoming a CIT trainer, I could help change the thought pattern of law enforcement officers dealing with individuals with developmental disabilities or people experiencing a mental health crisis. It was an honor to work toward that change in attitudes and behaviors.”
Ledford says he has had many learning and teaching opportunities within the Sheriff’s Office. Working in programs and recreation, he observed how volunteers and teachers interacted with inmates, creating second chance opportunities. He says, “It was good to see people push inmates to do better. It helped opened my eyes to the overall mission of the Sheriff’s Office.”
“Our job is mentally challenging,” he says. “Most people, especially in jail, are not happy to see us. We know we are doing good things there, but we rarely get thanked. When you don’t see it or hear it, it’s often hard to feel it. When a thank you does come our way, especially when we don’t expect it … it means a whole lot to us.”
Ledford is excited about being a part of the changes in law enforcement and his agency, in particular. “I do believe we are going to be a change agent for Fairfax County, not just for county leadership but for all the people who live and work here.”
Ledford attended Liberty University part-time while working for the Sheriff's Office and recently earned his B.A. in Criminal Justice.
Are you committed to serving the community? Then be the change you want to see and join our team as a Deputy Sheriff. $15,000 signing bonus available!