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Vermont Sheriff's Departments: Windsor County

Windsor County Sheriff's Department
62 Pleasant Street
P.O. Box 478
Woodstock, VT 05091
Phone: (802) 457-5211
Fax: (802) 457-5215
Website: www.windsorsheriff.org

Sheriff Ryan Palmer
Michael Chamberlain, Windsor County Sheriff, started his career in law enforcement in 1971 with the Woodstock Police Department. After serving four years with that agency as a patrolman, Sheriff Chamberlain was hired by the Windsor County Sheriff's Department where he spent four years as Chief Deputy. In 1979, Sheriff Chamberlain was elected Sheriff for Windsor County and served in that position for sixteen years. In 1995, Sheriff Chamberlain chose not to run for re-election and spent the next four years working in the private sector and with several other law enforcement agencies. In 1999, Sheriff Chamberlain was elected a second time as Sheriff for Windsor County and has been serving in that position to present. He has served forty one years in law enforcement, thirty of those as Windsor County Sheriff.
History
Windsor County is situated in southeastern Vermont above Windham County. Windsor County is Vermont's largest County in size at 927 square miles.
Vermont history has recorded that counties were set and defined by the needs of a Probate District according to growth and population. This resulted in multiple probate districts. In 1779 there were four probate districts in Cumberland County (Guilford, Rockingham, Windsor and Barnet). In 1781 Cumberland County was abolished and the counties of Windsor, Windham, and Orange were formed. Windsor County was incorporated on February 21, 1781 and its shire town is Woodstock.
Our Department's Historical Listing of Sheriffs'
The establishment and election of Sheriffs for their respective district is found in Chapter II "Plan or Frame of Government" Section 50 of the Constitution of the State of Vermont.
Listed are the Elected Sheriffs of Windsor County, State of Vermont to present:
- 1781 - Briant Brown (Windsor, Vermont) was the first elected Sheriff of Windsor County but resigned immediately after to become a Windsor County Clerk.
- 1781-1782 - Ebenezer Brewster (Dresden, NH) was appointed to replace Briant Brown.
- 1782-1787 - Benjamin Wait, Windsor
- 1787-1790 - Paul Brigham, Norwich
- 1790-1796 - William Sweetser, Windsor
- 1796-1798 - Lucius Hubbard, Chester
- 1798-1802 - William Rice, Woodstock
- 1802-1810 - William Strong, Hartford
- 1810-1814 - Pascal P. Enos, Windsor
- 1814-1815 - Amos Heald, Chester
- 1815-1820 - Solomon W. Burke, Woodstock
- 1820-1830 - Asaph Fletcher, Jr., Woodstock
- 1830-1834 - Lysander Raymond, Woodstock
- 1834-1837 - Daniel Bowen, Weathersfield
- 1837-1839 - John Pettis, Windsor
- 1839-1842 - Joel Lull Jr., Windsor
- 1842-1844 - Zenas F. Hyde, Cavendish
- 1844-1845 - David Bosworth, Bethel
- 1845-1850 - Gilman Henry, Woodstock
- 1850-1868 - Lorenzo Richmond, Woodstock
- 1868-1880 - Surrey W. Stimson, Ludlow
- 1880-1884 - Rollin Amsden, Windsor
- 1884-1888 - Gardner J Wallace, Bethel
- 1888-1892 - Wilson S. Lovell, Springfield
- 1892-1896 - Lester C. Howe, Ludlow
- 1896-1900 - Romaine A Spafford, Springfield
- 1900-1904 - Daniel C. Jones, Royalton
- 1904-1906 - Henry H. Peck, Hartford
- 1906-1910 - Eugene A. Thomas, Woodstock
- 1910-1916 - James H. Kiniry, Windsor
- 1916-1921 - James McDonald, Ludlow
- 1921-1929 - Wallis Fairbanks, Springfield
- 1929-1947 - Ernest H. Schoenfeld,Springfield
- 1947-1975 - Melvin W. Moore, Springfield
- 1975-1979 - John T. Goode, Woodstock
- 1979-1995 - Michael Chamberlain, Woodstock
- 1995-1999 - William G. Heinz, Weathersfield
- 1999-2023 - Michael Chamberlain, Woodstock
- 2023-Present - Ryan Palmer, Windsor
Towns We Serve
- Andover
- Baltimore
- Barnard
- Bethel
- Bridgewater
- Cavendish
- Chester
- Hartford
- Hartland
- Ludlow
- Norwich
- Plymouth
- Pomfret
- Reading
- Rochester
- Royalton
- Sharon
- Springfield
- Stockbridge
- Weathersfield
- West Windsor
- Weston
- Windsor
- Woodstock