Hon. Elias Diggins

Elias Diggins was sworn in as the Sheriff of Denver (CO) in July 2020. He has been with the Denver Sheriff Department since 1994, holding all uniform ranks with various assignments during his career. He is a staunch supporter of both the community and the men and the women of the Denver Sheriff Department. He is a Colorado native and grew up in the east Denver neighborhood of Montbello.

He is a nationally recognized law enforcement official and a past-president of the American Jail Association (AJA), where he is also a Certified Jail Manager. During his term as AJA President, he introduced an initiative titled "Gender Equity in Jails Across America," which has also been adopted by the Department of Justice-National Institute of Corrections. He is the recipient of several honors from various organizations, including the prestigious 2019 Legacy Award from the Association of Women Executives in Corrections. As an advocate for the mental health community, he created a cabinet-level position in his administration titled, “Chief of Mental Health Services,” and hired a licensed psychologist to fill the role.

Sheriff Diggins is a Certified Correctional Executive through the American Correction Association (ACA), where he is also a former auditor, former commissioner, and the past-chair for ACA's Commission on Accreditation for Corrections. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Metropolitan State University of Denver.