In 1982, the Prince William County Adult Detention Center opened and assumed the duties of jailers.

The Sheriff is a constitutional office elected by the Prince William County, City of Manassas and City of Manassas Park to provide certain public safety services.

The PWCSO was founded in 1731 and was the sole law enforcement agency for the county until 1970, when most patrol and investigations duties were turned over to the newly-formed Police Department.

[citation needed] In January 2021, after the identity of a deputy was revealed as advocating violence against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Parler, the deputy was immediately fired.

He stated his account was hacked, though an anti-fascist activist was able to verify his identity through several sites.