Sheriff Sean Casey
Sean Casey began his first term as Sheriff of the City of Alexandria on January 1, 2022, following his election to the office in November 2021.
Sheriff Casey initially joined the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office in 2017 as a sergeant after a highly distinguished career with the Alexandria Police Department where he had served as a patrol officer, detective, and sergeant.
In his first four years with the Sheriff’s Office, he earned promotions to lieutenant and then captain and served as the Assistant Commander of Administrative Services for the Sheriff’s Office. In this position, he managed Human Resources and Training, Fiscal Management, Investigations and Policy, Information Technology, Public Information, and Community Relations. He also organized implicit bias training for all employees, developed and launched the Sheriff’s Office Community Academy, implemented Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement training and policies, and expanded public safety and crime prevention services.
Beginning in spring 2020, then-Captain Casey oversaw the Sheriff’s Office’s planning and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this capacity, he worked with the Detention Center staff and medical personnel, the health department, and fellow commanders to identify issues; develop, implement and, when necessary, modify protocols; find safe and secure options for attorney-client visits and social visitation; and manage personnel and other resources to ensure adequate staffing while prioritizing their health and safety.
As Sheriff, he has strengthened his excellent relationships with community members and his commitment to those he serves with as well as to those in custody. In his first year, Sheriff Casey expanded recruiting efforts and established a partnership with the U.S. Army to facilitate employment for former servicemembers; ensured that the Office was reaccredited with distinction by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies; relaunched the Sheriff’s Community Academy and implemented measures to safely reopen public visitation at the jail as the pandemic eased; established new employee wellness initiatives; and expanded programming and partnerships with faith-based and community organizations including Concerned Citizens Network of Alexandria.
The following year, Sheriff Casey expanded employee wellness efforts with implementation of the ASOFit program; oversaw the Adult Detention Center's reaccreditation by American Correctional Association's Commission on Accreditation for Corrections (ACA) and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), resulting in the Office receiving the Triple Crown Award from the National Sheriffs' Association; and expanded use of technology to improve the safety of inmates and staff.
Sheriff Casey has partnered with the Commonwealth’s Attorney and Clerk of the Circuit Court to make the expungement process more accessible and affordable, and under Sheriff Casey's leadership, in 2024 the Adult Detention Center attained certification for compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).
Since becoming Sheriff, Sheriff Casey has been honored by community and public safety partners alike, most recently receiving recognition from Shiloh Baptist Church, Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Del Ray Business Association, Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22 and U.S. Marshals Service, and being named one of the "Most Interesting Men of 2023" by VIP Alexandria magazine.
A graduate of Virginia Tech, Sheriff Casey continues his professional and leadership development, successfully completing the Leadership in Police Organizations program with the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2019, earning his Certified Public Management® designation from the George Washington University in 2020, graduating from the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute for Police in 2023, and graduating from the National Sheriffs’ Institute’s Leadership Development program in 2024.
Sheriff Casey is a lifelong Alexandrian and a graduate of T.C. Williams High School, now Alexandria City High. He lives in the West End with his wife and their young children.