William L King, Jr

Sheriff Bill King has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years, serving at the local, state, county, and federal levels.  Sheriff King began his law enforcement career at the Portland, Maine, Police Department, where he served as a patrol officer as well as a supervisor before transitioning to the federal government.  During his diverse career, Sheriff King had the opportunity to serve in several positions including Assistant Director of MDEA, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the US Department of Justice. After retiring from federal service, he returned to his home state of Maine to serve as a law enforcement instructor and assisted in building a criminal justice program at a local college.  

 

While teaching, he was offered a temporary position to join the leadership team at the York County Sheriff’s Office.  He quickly became integral to the team and enjoyed the position so much that he has been there ever since! He was hired full-time in 2010 and successfully ran for sheriff in 2014.  He was re-elected to his second term in 2018 and his third term in 2022.  

 

Sheriff King has authored numerous articles on a host of topics that have been published in national as well as regional professional publications. He is regularly featured as a presenter at conferences and events which have included, the International Chiefs of Police Conference, the National Sheriff’s Association, New England State Police Intelligence Network, the Virginia Sheriff’s Association, and the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.  Sheriff King has championed several initiatives and is seen as a subject matter expert regarding scams targeting the elderly and Sovereign Citizen threats to law enforcement. In 2016 he was invited by the Jamaican Government to travel to Jamaica and discuss lottery scams and the devasting effect they have on elderly Americans.  At the invitation of Senator Susan Collins he testified before Congress to provide a briefing on this international crime and law enforcement efforts.  

 

In recognition of his law enforcement activities and contributions, in 2013, he was named by the Portland Press Herald as one of the “Ten Mainers to be most thankful for” he was also named as a “Prime Mover” by Maine Senior Magazine.  

 

As a testament to his passion and commitment to fighting the Opioid Epidemic plaguing our nation and the State of Maine, Sheriff King was appointed to the Governor’s Opioid Collaborative Task Force. Sheriff King is also committed to fighting the effect this crisis has on our roadways. 

 

With traffic incidents on the rise, Sheriff King enterprised a creative way to increase roadway safety.  The initiative capitalizes on using community reports of perceived traffic infractions and communicating those perceived infractions to vehicle owners/operators.  The program also includes a component to thank the community members that provided the report for their contribution to roadway safety.  This initiative earned him the distinction of being named AAA New England’s 2023 Traffic Safety Champion Award.  

 

Sheriff King holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Southern Maine and an M.S. in Management from Troy State University.  He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the National Sheriff’s Institute.  Sheriff Bill King has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years, serving at the local, state, county, and federal levels.  Sheriff King began his law enforcement career at the Portland Police Department, where he served as a patrol officer as well as a supervisor before transitioning to the federal government.  During his diverse career, Sheriff King had the opportunity to serve in several positions, including Assistant Director of MDEA, the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, and the US Department of Justice. After retiring from federal service, he returned to his home state of Maine to serve as a law enforcement instructor and assisted in building a criminal justice program at a local college.