Director for Law Enforcement Operations

Major Graham Fountain serves as the Director of Law Enforcement Operations for the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. With over 27 years of local and state experience in law enforcement and public safety, Major Fountain has served in a variety of leadership posts including director of law enforcement for the Florida Department of Transportation under Governor Jeb Bush’s administration, undersheriff of Okaloosa County, chief investigator for State Comptroller, Gen. Bob Milligan, and Law Enforcement Investigator II with the State Treasure and Insurance Commissioner’s Office.

After Sept. 11, 2001, Major Fountain was appointed to serve on the U.S. Department of Justice Homeland Security Advisory Council for the Northern District of Florida, the State of Florida Domestic Security Task Force, vice-chair on the Statewide Radio Communication Task Force, and the Florida Seaports Security Standards Council. He also served six years as a commissioner and chair for the Florida Commission on Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation and recently was appointed to his first term as commissioner for the Florida State Historical Commission.

Major Fountain received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice/political science from Troy State University and is a graduate of the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Leadership Academy, the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute (FDLE/FSU) Chief Executive Program, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco, and has more than 2,000 hours of advanced training in public safety, law enforcement, quality assurance and leadership.

Major Fountain is active in providing leadership in the areas of homeland security, disaster preparedness, transportation safety, white-collar crime and police agency professionalism.

Law Enforcement Operations

The Department of Law Enforcement Operations, under the direction of Major Graham W. Fountain, manages field operational activities and initiatives that are the most visible to the public. Employing over 150 sworn deputy sheriffs whose primary duties are crime fighting, answering calls for service, serving warrants, and conducting criminal investigations, the department consists of the Uniform Patrol Division, Special Operations Division, and the Criminal Investigations Division. Each program area is headed by a Division Chief who carries the rank of Captain and is responsible for the overall management of their area of concentration. In addition to sections under each division, specialized teams and responsibilities fall under Law Enforcement Operations which include the SWAT Team, Underwater Search and Recovery Team, Honor Guard, Reserve Deputy Program, Legislative Programs Office, and the Chaplain Program.

Organizational Chart