About Sheriff Bonner

Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. is a 38 year veteran of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.  He is the first African American to be elected as Sheriff of Shelby County, Tennessee.  Sheriff Bonner is a lifelong resident of Memphis and Shelby County.  He graduated from Hillcrest High School and obtained degrees from Jackson State Community College and the University of Memphis with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.  In 2016, he attended the Southern Police Institute AOC 136th Graduate Program at the University of Louisville.  

Bonner began his career with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office 1980.  Over his 38 year career, Sheriff Bonner rose through the ranks of the Sheriff’s Office, beginning as a Corrections Deputy in the Jail Division, a patrolman in Uniform Patrol, all the way up to Sheriff of Shelby County. 

He was promoted to Sergeant in 1994 and served in the Narcotics Division.  Following his promotion to Lieutenant, he served as Assistant Commander in the BPSI Unit.

Sheriff Bonner was promoted to the rank of Captain in 2001.  From 2003 to 2005, he commanded the Narcotics Division.  In 2005, he served as the Assistant Commander of Patrol/Patrol Support Services where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of five enforcement divisions and he served as liaison with law enforcement agencies, local municipalities and other organizations.  His additional duties included oversight of the Governor’s Highway Safety grants.

He remained in Patrol Support Services following his promotion to Inspector in 2008.

In 2010, he was promoted to Assistant Chief Deputy overseeing operations of the Patrol and Patrol Support Services, where there were approximately 500 officers and volunteers working under his leadership.  From December 2012 through his promotion to Chief Deputy in August 2015, he was responsible for the Court Services Division and Civil Process/Levy Squad.

Bonner was appointed Chief Deputy by then Sheriff Bill Oldham in August 2015.  As Chief Deputy he was second-in-command to the Sheriff and reported directly to him.  He coordinated the day-to-day operations in law enforcement and oversaw all of its divisions, including, Patrol/Patrol Support; Courts Services/Civil Process/Levy Squad; Detectives including Homicide, Robbery, Sex Crimes, ALERT, Fugitive, and Narcotics; Homeland Security; the Bureau of Professional Standards & Integrity (“BPSI”); Volunteer Services; Metro Alarm; Reserves; Crime Prevention; SWAT/Bomb/Dive; DUI (Driving Under the Influence); Internal Audits Bureau; Office of Accreditation for Law Enforcement; Training Division; Communications; and the Jail. He communicated information on policies and procedures to ensure efficient and effective departmental operations.

Sheriff Bonner is a member of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association, the International Chiefs of Police and the Memphis Metropolitan Areas of Chiefs of Police.

Sheriff Bonner has been married for 37 years and has 2 sons and two grandchildren.

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office Online

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office website has numerous law enforcement and community resources. Visitors can:

• Find information about our various divisions
• Look up outstanding warrants
• Search recent arrests
• View crime trend reports