Eric Aden

Eric Aden is the Sheriff of Okaloosa County responsible for the safety and well-being of nearly 220,000 residents and nearly 2 million annual visitors. He oversees over 450 employees and manages an annual budget in excess of $50,000,000. He ran unopposed and won his first election in June 2020. He was appointed to the office on January 1st, 2021 and his first term officially began January 5th, 2021. Sheriff Aden began his career as a deputy in 1995. In 1998, he went to part-time status to pursue a career in the private sector in banking and finance. In 2008, he was recruited for a leadership position with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office where he was quickly promoted to Lieutenant and Team Leader for the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force. In 2010 he was again hand-selected to a leadership position with the Okaloosa Country Sheriff’s Office working his way through the divisions of the agency. In early 2017, he was promoted to Captain. Since beginning his career in law enforcement, he has worked, mentored, supervised and managed personnel and resources in every facet of law enforcement. He was promoted to Major over Operations in late 2018 where he served as Bureau Chief. In June 2020 after winning the election, he transferred to Administration Major where he served as the Bureau Chief before officially taking office as Sheriff. Sheriff Aden has worked in nearly all aspects of law enforcement and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.