Sheriff William D. Gore
San Diego County
William D. Gore became the 29th Sheriff of San Diego County on July 3, 2009. Sheriff Gore oversees one of the largest Sheriff’s Departments in the nation with 4,300 employees, an annual budget of more than $850 million, and a service area of over 4,400 square miles including a 60-mile international border. Along with patrol and investigative operations, his department provides air support, search and rescue service, and forensic support for the San Diego region. His department operates seven detention facilities countywide and provides security to nine courthouses.

Sheriff Gore is well known for his regional approach to law enforcement and for his energetic deployment of technology to the front lines of enforcement. He spearheaded the creation of the Law Enforcement Coordination Center, which serves as an all-crimes intelligence fusion center for the San Diego region, and a Rapid Response DNA Team that uses forensic DNA to solve property crimes. He created a Border Crimes Initiative, including Operation Stonegarden, which brings together federal, state and local resources to combat crime along the southwest border.

Under Sheriff Gore’s leadership, the department has deployed Information Led Policing, a pro-active approach to preventing and disrupting crime. Using the most current technologies of crime analysis, patrol deputies and investigators focus on crime hotspots and on targeting high-propensity offenders. The result is safer neighborhoods.

Sheriff Gore’s law enforcement career spans over 47 years. He spent 32 years in the FBI, where he rose to the level of Assistant Director. He served as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Seattle and San Diego Field Divisions, where he implemented the FBI Cyber Crime Squad and Joint Terrorism Task Force. He played a significant role in establishing the San Diego Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, the first of its kind in the United States. After retiring from the FBI, Sheriff Gore served as Special Advisor and Chief Investigator to the San Diego County District Attorney. In 2004, he was appointed by Sheriff Bill Kolender to serve as Assistant Sheriff over the Law Enforcement Services Bureau and then as Undersheriff, where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Department.

Sheriff Gore is a member of the San Diego County Police Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association, the California State Sheriffs’ Association, National Sheriffs’ Association and the Major County Sheriffs’ Association. He is a board member of Second Chance, STAR/PAL, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the San Diego Commission on Gangs. He is a member of the San Diego Rotary Club and The Nice Guys Organization and has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations, including the Arthur E. Hughes Career Achievement Award from his alma mater, University of San Diego (2002). He was selected as “Headliner of the Year” by the San Diego Press Club (2001). President Clinton designated him as a Meritorious Executive in Senior Executive Service (2000).

A San Diego native, Sheriff Gore holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Diego and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Seattle University. Sheriff Gore’s family is rich in law enforcement experience. His father and older brother were a part of the San Diego Police Department and his middle brother was a San Diego County Deputy Sheriff. His wife was one of the first female FBI agents in the United States. He and his wife, Natalie, have a grown son.