Chris Nocco is the Sheriff of Pasco County, a position he has held since former Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed him in 2011. He was elected to the position in 2012, re-elected without opposition in 2016 and re-elected, again without opposition, in 2020.

Prior to becoming Sheriff and working at the Pasco Sheriff’s Office as a Captain and Major, Nocco served with the Philadelphia Public School Police, the Fairfax County (VA) Police Department and the Broward County (FL) Sheriff’s Office. He was a first responder to the attacks of 9/11, the Washington, DC sniper incident, the anthrax attacks and numerous demonstrations and large-scale protests in the nation’s capitol.

For a few years, Nocco stepped away from law enforcement and served as the Staff Director in the Policy and Procedure Office of the Florida House of Representatives. There, he was responsible for domestic security, criminal justice, emergency management, economic development and transportation issues. Later, Nocco became Deputy Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Chris, his wife Bridget, and three children are also active at church and youth sports.

Nocco has also led the Pasco Sheriff’s Office as the agency has created numerous community partners to include the Homeless Coalition of Pasco County, the Pasco County NAACP, Sunrise Domestic Violence Shelter, the US Institute Against Human Trafficking, Metropolitan Ministries, the Trilby Initiative and several other community initiatives in Pasco County.

During his tenure as Sheriff, Nocco has implemented several innovations at the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The Pasco Sheriff’s Office was the first agency in the Tampa Bay Area to adopt body worn cameras. The Pasco Sheriff’s Office also has one of the largest Behavioral Health Intervention Teams in the state of Florida, this team works directly with those who are homeless, suffer from mental health concerns and substance abuse to connect them to resources available in the community. Nocco also led the way to develop F1RST (Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics), a one of a kind training center to create synergy between academia, public safety and the private sector. FIRST is also engaged in creating jobs for the region and opportunities for students to further pursue their interest in the different fields of science and animal care. Nocco also championed hiring practices that lead to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office hiring numerous veterans and has also been recognized by a local media outlet as the most diverse law enforcement agency in the Tampa Bay Area. In addition, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer unit, under Nocco’s leadership, was named the 2022 School Resource Officer unit of the year by the Florida Association of School Resource Officers.

During his tenure, Nocco has also focused the Pasco Sheriff’s Office on academic partnerships and research. These partnerships include the University of Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, the University of South Florida, St. Leo University and numerous other academic institutions. These partnerships also include Bethune-Cookman University with whom the Pasco Sheriff’s Office is partnering on innovative training to help law enforcement members better understand the community they serve.