March 7, 2023
Sheriff Stacey Kincaid has promoted Alma Smith from Captain to Major. She now commands the Court Services Division, one of four divisions that support the Sheriff’s Office mission.
Major Smith’s career with the Sheriff’s Office started 20 years ago as a civilian. She processed disbursements from the wages of inmates on Work Release or Electronic Incarceration who owed child support, restitution or other debts. A lieutenant took note of her potential and suggested she apply to be a deputy sheriff.
Smith had never considered a career in law enforcement, but after touring the Adult Detention Center, visiting different agency units and learning about the training, she accepted the challenge and succeeded.
As a new deputy, Smith worked overtime, not for the money, she says, but to get extra practice. She is fluent in Spanish and English and is called on frequently to be a translator. “I take advantage of every opportunity to go above and beyond, whether for an inmate or a staff member.
After working in the Adult Detention Center (ADC) for a few years, she was chosen to be an applicant investigator in the Human Resources Branch. Continuing to impress her supervisors, she was promoted to sergeant and transferred back to the ADC. That stint lasted less than a year because she was transferred to a highly selective position in Internal Affairs and also served as the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. While there, she was promoted to the rank of 2nd lieutenant. After five years in Internal Affairs, she was transferred back the ADC.
When Smith was promoted to first lieutenant in March 2021, she became an ADC squad commander, supervising more than 50 deputies on the overnight shift. She calls it the best assignment she ever had, and it prepared her for promotion to captain. “All eyes were on me as the highest ranked person working nights, and I had to be ready for anything and everything. I never hesitated to rely on senior line staff who could share their knowledge and experiences with me.”
As a new Major, Smith is focused on learning all about Court Security and Civil Process. “I’ve always wanted to do my job as if my supervisors were standing behind me, even when they were not.”