O. Wendell Hall

Term of Office, 2000 – Present

Wendell Hall was born in Atmore, Alabama on January 27, 1949. He attended high school in Walnut Hill, Florida and took coursework at Pensacola Junior College. He later procured a Bachelor of Science degree from Troy State University, specializing in the field of criminal justice.

Hall’s career, in the law enforcement arena, has spanned over 26 years.  He served with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for 19 years, both in corrections and regular law enforcement. He held the ranks of deputy sheriff, corporal, and sergeant. Hall specialized in hostage negotiations, firearms instruction, and major crimes investigation. He received special recognition for Outstanding Service to the Community in 1984, a Meritorious Service Award in1992, and numerous other achievement awards. Hall also served as a Sheriff’s Reserve Officer and as a volunteer firefighter for several years.

In the year 2000, Hall was elected sheriff for Santa Rosa County. While fulfilling this role, he maintained an office that was accessible to the community, endorsing an “Open Door” policy for all. His focus was to ensure excellence, accountability, and integrity in the management and conduct of Sheriff’s Office programs. “Exceeding Your Expectations” became the cornerstone of his office. Hall also established collaborative partnerships with local schools, businesses, and the community at large. From these relationships, greater crisis management programs, an enhanced School Resource Officer Program, a full-time traffic unit, a modified COMSTAT Program to analyze and map crime data and other essential police performance, departmental accreditation, the relocation of district offices, an enhanced gun range and K9 unit, the implementation of air patrol to locate and eradicate the growth of marijuana, and greater quality training for all personnel evolved. Additionally, a unique achievement, put forth by Hall, was to establish a Sheriffs Honor Wall to pay tribute to those who came before him to serve as sheriff.

Hall currently resides in the Pace area with his family and continues to strive for excellence in the role of sheriff for Santa Rosa County.