Sheriff Wayne Woo
Career
Born and raised in the Sacramento area, Wayne Woo began his career in law enforcement in 1990 with the Lake County Sheriff's Office. In 1994, Wayne joined the Placer County Sheriff's Office as a deputy.
As Wayne rose through the ranks, he served in many units, including Investigations, where he worked as a Detective in Property Crimes and Special Investigations, rising to Sergeant in the Special Operations Unit. He also served for over 18 years on the Special Enforcement Team (S.E.T.), where he worked as an operator, team leader, and eventually team commander. He is considered an extraordinary tactical leader throughout the region.
He has also served in the Training Division as a use of force instructor, teaching defensive tactics, impact weapons, and firearms training. He's spent over 1,000 hours teaching at the Sheriff's Office and Sierra College.
As a Lieutenant, Wayne served as the station commander for the South Placer Substation in Loomis. In 2012 Wayne was promoted to Captain as the Corrections Division Commander, where he worked to fund, staff, and open the South Placer Jail.
Promotions
In 2013 he transferred to the Field Operations Division, where he served until February of 2017, when Sheriff Devon Bell appointed him to Undersheriff. As Undersheriff, he managed the Sheriff's Office's budget and the day-to-day operations of the entire multi-faceted agency.
Wayne had spent over five years at every level of the Placer County Sheriff's Office, and when Sheriff Devon Bell announced his impending retirement, Wayne felt called to lead the agency. Wayne was elected the 29th Sheriff of Placer County in June 2022.
Community Involvement
In addition to his duties at the Sheriff's office, Wayne currently serves as a general board member of the Placer Sheriff's Activities League, PSAL, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending child abuse and neglect. Wayne is a past board member of KidsFirst and the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Placer Count. These organizations support his keen interest in early childhood intervention.
Background
Wayne resides in Newcastle with his wife and three children and is a graduate of Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks, CA. He received his master's degree in Criminal Justice Management from the University of Nevada, Reno. A lover of the outdoors, Wayne can often be found mountain biking, trail running, or teeing off on the golf course.