Sheriff

Sheriff Dave Putnam brings diverse experience to his role as Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator. Dave joined the Kings County Sheriff’s Office in October of 1990 as a Deputy Sheriff assigned to Patrol. During his initial tenure, Dave was assigned to Headquarters Patrol along with the contracted City of Avenal. In 1996, he was promoted to the rank of Senior Deputy and was assigned to the Investigative Division. After this tenure, Dave was promoted to the rank of Sergeant (in the year 2000), where he spent tenures in Patrol, Detectives, and oversaw Animal Services. In 2005, Dave was promoted to Sheriff’s Commander where he served tenures as the Avenal (contract city) Commander, Support Division Commander (Investigations) and Headquarters Patrol Commander. Upon Sheriff Robinson taking office in early 2011, Dave Putnam was promoted to the position of Assistant Sheriff (2^nd in Command of the agency) and this position was later re-classified to Undersheriff, where Dave finished out his initial career with the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, when he retired in April of 2023 after nearly 33 years with the agency.

Shortly after retirement, in July of 2023, Dave Putnam was asked by the City of Corcoran to act as their (Interim) Chief of Police. Dave accepted this job and provided executive leadership to the police organization and assisted with the recruitment of a permanent Chief of Police. Dave retired from the Corcoran Police Department in February of 2024.

Dave Putnam came of out retirement once again and accepted an (Interim) job as the Chief Investigator at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, providing executive leadership to this professional organization from December of 2024 – September of 2025.

Dave Putnam was sworn in as Kings County Sheriff on November 24, 2025.

Dave is married to his wife, Lucy, and they have three adult children along with nine grandchildren, keeping them extremely busy with sporting events and school activities.

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VINE – Victim Information & Notification Everyday

A program designed to track and be notified of the custody status of offenders

To search for offenders in jail and register for notifications on custody updates, select the VINE link above or on the left menu.

County service offers added protection for crime victims, public Kings County residents now have fast access to custody information on offenders throughout Kings County. An automated service citizens can access, 24-hours-a-day either by telephone or the Internet, VINE is available in English and Spanish.

People calling 1(800) 491-0689 are asked to provide an offender’s name or booking number. After the system has provided the relevant custody information, it asks the caller if they would like to register to be automatically notified when the offender is released or transferred. All registrations are confidential. Those choosing to register provide a phone number, and a four-digit personal identification number (PIN), which they will later use to confirm they received a notification call that an offender was released or transferred.

Live operator assistance is available round-the-clock for callers who have questions or require additional help. Citizens can also go on line at www.vinelink.com to locate and register.

VINE is a nationwide service used in more than 40 states. Some of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Washington, D.C., are also involved in this program.

COP Program

The concept of Community Oriented Policing is not just something printed on a letterhead. It is a concept we adopt as a policing philosophy. Community Policing is not just a temporary "program" but a way of doing day to day business...read more.

Memorial Awards

The Kings County Sheriff's Department prides itself on remembering those who have gone before us...
read more.

Kings County Sheriff's Office Management Organizational Chart

Links

California Highway Patrol
Child Protective Services
CA Board of Corrections
College of the Sequoias (General Information)
College of the Sequoia s (Police Academy)
Corrections
Fresno City College
National Institute of Corrections
West Hills College