BIOGRAPHY

JAMES ALTON CANNON, JR., ESQ.

SHERIFF OF CHARLESTON COUNTY

James Alton Cannon, Jr., is the Sheriff of Charleston County.  He was first elected Sheriff in 1988 and is serving in his fifth term.  The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the state, employing over 888 people.  Sheriff Cannon is responsible for the oversight of an annual budget of over 58 million dollars.
 

Sheriff Cannon is a North Charleston native and graduated from Chicora High School.  He has earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Charleston and a Masters of Criminal Justice degree from the University of South Carolina. He also has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina and is an active member of the South Carolina Bar.
 

In October, 2006 Sheriff Cannon retired, after 29 years service, from the U.S. Air Force Reserves at the rank of Colonel. Prior to his service in the reserves, Cannon served 4 years active duty in the Air Force as a Russian translator.  His entire reserve career was spent as a Special Agent in the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI).  In his last assignment, he served as the Reserve Commander of the 3^rd Field Investigative Region, AFOSI, Scott AFB, Illinois. In this role, he was responsible for directing felony criminal investigations, counterintelligence, counterespionage, antiterrorism and force protection operations conducted by AFOSI personnel operating at fifteen bases throughout the United States.  Cannon had many deployments around the world and came to be recognized as an authority on terrorism and anti-terrorism measures.
 

Sheriff Cannon’s career in law enforcement spans over 35 years, starting as a patrol officer with the Charleston County Police Department in 1971.  He then joined the newly created North Charleston Police Department in 1973, rose through the ranks to Lieutenant and resigned in 1979 to enter the USC Law School in Columbia, SC.  After practicing law for about a year and a half, Cannon returned to the North Charleston Police department, serving as the Chief of Police from March 1984 until August, 1987.  Cannon was elected Sheriff in a special election after the sudden death of the then Sheriff Charles F. Dawley.
 

Sheriff Cannon is credited with successfully merging the Charleston County Police Department and the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in January, 1991.  He is an innovative and dedicated sheriff who uses his considerable talents and outstanding professional skills to provide leadership and direction to the organization for the benefit of the citizens he serves. He has molded the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office into a premier law enforcement agency highly regarded by its peers.
 

The combination of attorney, military leader and law enforcement professional, gives Sheriff Cannon a truly unique perspective of the many problems and threats we face.   Known as a man who says what’s on his mind, he has a well earned reputation for honesty and integrity. 

See Sheriff's Office for more information about this elected office.