As its 49th chief executive, Todd Baxter brings over 37 years of law enforcement experience to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. First elected in 2017 and reelected in 2021, Sheriff Baxter leads an agency of 1,200 sworn and civilian personnel responsible for criminal investigations, civil process, court security, and a jail, which on any given day houses about 750 people.

Sheriff Baxter served three years of active duty in the Army as a Military Police Officer and another 19 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a Master Sergeant in 2005. He entered civilian law enforcement with the Rochester Police Department in 1987, working as a patrol officer for 13 years. He served seven years in the department’s street crimes Tactical Unit and 19 on the SWAT team — two years as its commander. He worked for three Chiefs of Police as their administrative aide, ultimately reaching the rank of Captain.

In 2010, Baxter left RPD to become Chief of the Greece Police Department, one of the most embattled police departments in America. In 2014, he became Executive Director of the Veterans Outreach Center, Inc., the oldest local non-profit that cares for veterans.

The Sheriff holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from Monroe Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management, and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Leadership, both from Roberts Wesleyan College, where he works occasionally as an adjunct professor.

The Sheriff and his wife, Mary, are parents to two accomplished young men, Kevin and Zachary, and grandparents to Cora and Colton.