Staff Bios

Colonel David R. Hines, Sheriff

David R. Hines began his career with the Sheriff's Office in July of 1984.  He attended the 18th Basic Law Enforcement Academy at the Richmond Regional Criminal Justice Training Center.  After completion of Field Training, he served in Uniform Patrol Operations until 1986 when he was transferred to the Vice/Narcotics Unit where he served on the DEA Task Force, the Multi-Jurisdictional Grand Jury, and with other law enforcement agencies in an undercover capacity.  In August of 1991, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in charge of the Vice/Narcotics Unit.  In 1994 Sergeant Hines was assigned to the Internal Affairs Department and one year later was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the newly formed Professional Standards and Risk Management Unit.  In 1996 he was reassigned to the Investigative Division as Lieutenant of Special Investigations.  In March of 1997, he served as Acting Captain of the Investigative Division and in July 1997, was appointed to the rank of Captain. During the Sheriff's Office reorganization in 2002, Captain Hines was appointed to the rank of Major and assigned as Commander of Field Operations, which included Uniform Patrol Operations and Investigative Operations.  On October 16, 2003, Major Hines was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and served as second-in-command, executive officer of the Sheriff's Office. On September 16, 2010 David R. Hines took the Oath of Office and became the 53rd Sheriff of Hanover County Virginia.
Throughout his career, Colonel Hines has attended hundreds of hours of specialized training in the fields of Investigations, Search & Seizure, Terrorism, Civil Liability, Homeland Security, and Executive Development & Community Policing.   In addition to formal classes, Colonel Hines has attended numerous seminars and conferences in the disciplines of Personnel Management & Executive Leadership.  The Colonel is a graduate of the 195th Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy, the Professional Executive Leadership School of the University of Richmond, and the U. S. Department of Justice Law Enforcement Executive Development Program.

Colonel Hines has taken the tools and skills sets acquired from this training and applied them to his role as a leader in the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.  An example of this type of leadership is the implementation of Hanover’s CMI (Crime Management Initiative) Program. The Colonel was instrumental in the implementation of this program where members of Patrol, Investigations, and the Crime Prevention units meet every other week to discuss crime trends and develop solutions to problems that are occurring and may occur as identified in other surrounding jurisdictions.
Since beginning his employment with the Sheriff’s Office, Colonel Hines has been awarded the Meritorious Service Ribbon and the Safe Driver Award and has received one-hundred forty-seven commendations.  The Savannah Police Department in Savannah, Georgia, also awarded the Colonel a certificate of merit for collaborative work resulting in the arrest of a homicide suspect.

The Colonel is also an active leader in a number of civic and community organizations.  Memberships include the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association, the Richmond Metro Area Crime Stoppers and the Mechanicsville Businessmen's Association. He serves on the Public Safety Advisory Board and the Pamunkey Regional Jail Board, and is past training director of the Eastern States Vice Investigations Association.


In Hanover County, he is active in his community where he has coached little league football through the Mechanicsville and Blue Star Youth Football Associations, and soccer with the Arsenal Youth Soccer League.  He is a former member of the Mechanicsville Rotary and serves as an Advisory Member of the Hanover Business Council. Colonel Hines and his family worship at Mechanicsville Baptist Church where he serves on the Board of Deacons. He is also a 32nd degree Mason at Washington Henry Lodge, #344, A.F. & A. M. and Metropolitan Lodge #11 A. F. & A. M.

Colonel David R. Hines and his wife, Pat, have been happily married since 1978. They have two children and reside in Hanover County.