Travis County Sheriff's Office history

Travis County, named for Alamo commander William Barrett Travis, was created on January 25, 1840.

In 1847, Travis County Commissioners authorized the construction of a county jail.

The Sheriff was responsible for all law enforcement in the county until the city of Austin created its own police department in 1851.

After Texas seceded from the United States in 1861, many county offices, including that of constable, remained unfilled or were filled by men less competent than their predecessors.

Deputy Lemuel Duncan had been a deputy sheriff for only 29 days when he was killed on the night of September 23, 1911.

In 1931, the State of Texas gave Travis County land in exchange for breaking its 99-year lease for the courthouse and jail facilities.

A 1954 constitutional amendment extended their term of office from two years to four.

On the morning of February 1, 1967, Deputy Benjamin Berry and his partner and cousin, Deputy Walter Eckert, were attempting to execute a felony warrant in north-central Austin.

31, 1972(longest serving Sheriff in Travis County history)

The county won its lawsuit and the jail finally opened in July 1986 with a capacity of 267 inmates.

On the night of February 15, 2001, Senior Deputy Keith Ruiz, a 13-year TCSO veteran, was assisting other TCSO deputies in the execution of a narcotics search and arrest warrant at a private residence in the Del Valle area of Southeast Travis County.