Delaware County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office

Jeffrey C. Balzer was named acting Sheriff on April 17, 2023, by the Delaware County Board of Commissioners, and then appointed by the Delaware County Republican Central Committee on May 11, 2023, to serve the remainder of the current term of office following the retirement of former Sheriff Russell Martin.

Sheriff Balzer has been a resident of Delaware County for 37 years and hails from the Springfield, OH area. Following graduation from Ohio University, he became a law enforcement officer first as a deputy sheriff in Champaign County before moving to the City of Delaware to join their police department. After several years, he was appointed as a Deputy U.S. Marshal and stationed in the Southern District of Ohio. During his career with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Jeff successfully completed numerous missions involving court security, judicial protection, witness security, fugitive investigations, and terrorism investigations; while being promoted multiple times.

He retired early from the USMS to join Sheriff Russ Martin at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in 2016, where he was a Chief Deputy with numerous responsibilities including oversight of the jail.

Jeff has been a law enforcement officer for nearly four decades. He enjoys serving his community and is committed to providing top-notch law enforcement to the citizens of Delaware County.

Jeff and his wife Amy married in 1989 and their three children graduated from Buckeye Valley High School.