Sheriff William "Bill" Farmer

After graduating from South Sumter High School in 1965, he successfully completed fingerprint identification training with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and worked in the crime scene investigations unit of the Duval County Sheriff’s Office. In 1966, Sheriff Farmer enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the 3rd Army Infantry, and attained the rank of E-5 before being discharged in 1968. He continued to serve in the U.S. Army Reserve and was honorably discharged in 1972.

After returning home from the U.S. Army, Sheriff Farmer began his more than forty years of service to the citizens of Sumter County, becoming a Deputy Sheriff in 1971. Since 1971, Sheriff Farmer’s career has spanned more than four decades with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and in 1996, was elected Sheriff. Since taking office in January 1997, Sheriff Farmer has led one of the most proactive and progressive law enforcement agencies in the Central Florida region, and has since been re-elected to the office of Sheriff in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

In the elections of 2004 and 2008, Sheriff Farmer ran unopposed; a first for a sitting Sumter County Sheriff. Sheriff Farmer is as much a family man as he is lawman. Sheriff Farmer is married to the former Linda Louise Jay, and together, they have celebrated more than 37 years of marriage. Mrs. Farmer is a retired teacher, having retired from Sumter District Schools after more than 37 years of service. The Farmers have three children: Billy, a Southeast Regional Manager for an agricultural firm; Stephen, a Lieutenant with the Florida Wildlife Commission; and Kristen, who serves with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington D.C.

Chief Deputy Jimmy Terry

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Major Gary Brannen

... has served as a Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Florida since 1978. Major Brannen has served with the Florida Department of Corrections, Wildwood Police Department, Eustis Police Department, Umatilla Police Department, Tavares Police Department and the Sumter County Sheriff's Office since 1990.

Major Brannen was selected to command the Law Enforcement Operations Bureau of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office in 2011. As a Lieutenant, Major Brannen initiated the Forensic Services now offered by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office beginning in 1998. Major Brannen has an Associate in Science degree in Criminal Justice from Lake-Sumter Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from Saint Leo University. He is a certified Law Enforcement Instructor by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Major Brannen is a former Adjunct Instructor at Lake-Sumter Community College in the Criminal Justice Program. He has made presentations at both Florida and International Forensic Conferences, and has been a member of both the Florida Division of the International Association for Identification and the International Association for Identification since 1999.

In 2000 and again in 2003 and 2008, Major Brannen was certified as a Crime Scene Investigator by the International Association for Identification. He also was appointed Region 3 Director of the Florida Division of the International Association for Identification in 2003 and elected to Region 3 Director in 2004. Major Brannen was elected Third Vice President of the Florida Division of the International Association for Identification in 2005 and advanced by election to Second Vice President in 2006 then First Vice-President in 2007 and President in 2008. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the FDIAI.

Major Steve Binegar

Major Steve Binegar is a 33 year law enforcement veteran.  Major Binegar came to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office in June 2005 as a Lieutenant in the Criminal Investigations Division.  In January 2010, he was promoted to Captain and served as Assistant Jail Administrator.  In September 2010, he was promoted to Major and is the current Jail Administrator, responsible for the management of a staff of 105 Detention Deputies and support personnel, a capacity to house more than 550 inmates, and an annual operating budget of $9.2 million dollars.
He began his career in 1978 with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.  He previously served as a Corrections Officer, Communications Officer, Patrol Deputy, Criminal Investigator, Criminal Investigator Sergeant, Criminal Investigator Captain, Patrol Captain, Internal Affairs Captain, and Detective Bureau Major.   In October 1998, Major Binegar was appointed Acting Sheriff of Marion County by Governor Lawton Chiles.  In November 1998, he was appointed Chief of Staff when Marion County Sheriff Ed Dean took office; a position he maintained until June 2002.
Major Binegar is a former SWAT team operator and commander, Underwater Recovery Team member and commander, Range Master, and Police Driving Instructor.  He previously served in the United States Marine Corps and is a former Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations.  He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from James Madison University and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida

Captain Kevin Hofecker

Captain Kevin Hofecker is commander of the Criminal Investigations Division, which is a multi-faceted investigative group of 21 dedicated detectives and support personnel responsible for investigating criminal activity in Sumter County. The Major Case Squad, Property Crimes Squad, Economic Crimes Squad, Special Investigations Squad, Forensic Services, Career Criminal Unit, and Victim Advocate Services comprise the Criminal Investigations Division that enjoys an overall clearance rate nearly twice the Florida state average.

A Citrus County native, Captain Hofecker grew up in Floral City, and began his law enforcement career in 1985 as a Police Officer with the Brooksville Police Department. He previously served as a Deputy Sheriff with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and Hernando County Sheriff’s Office before coming to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office in 1999. During his career, Captain Hofecker has served in a variety of supervisory and non-supervisory positions such as Patrol Deputy, Patrol Corporal, Patrol Sergeant, CID Sergeant and CID Lieutenant. He has also served as a Field Training Officer, Field Training Officer supervisor, Highway Interdiction Team member, and School Resource Deputy.

Captain Hofecker is one the agency’s Press Information Officers, a firearms and driving instructor, a member of the agency’s Crisis Negotiaton Team, current commander of the Honor Guard, and a past recipient of the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers award for his DUI enforcement efforts. He is a graduate of Saint Leo University’s Command Officer Development Course IV and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, graduating Cum Laude in 2008 from Saint Leo University.