By: Chelsea Davis-Bibb, Ed.D.
Eric Fagan has been a Fort Bend Country resident for 30 years. He was elected as the Sheriff of Fort Bend County on November 3, 2020. He was sworn in on January 1, 2021, and became the 45th Sheriff of Fort Bend County, Texas and the first African American to serve in this position since reconstruction 151 years ago.
His education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, and a Master’s degree in Juvenile Forensic Psychology from Prairie View A & M University. While earning his master’s degree, he was able to obtain education and training regarding mental health. This allowed him to conduct psychological evaluations on inmates under a licensed psychiatrist before their day in court. With this knowledge, he’s able to recognize mental illness, and how to deescalate a situation that involves someone who is mentally ill. Due to these experiences, Sheriff Fagan understands the importance of officers being properly trained on how to handle their encounters with those who are mentally ill.
During his career, Sheriff Fagan worked under the Recruiting Division of the Houston Police Department as a background investigator. He traveled throughout the United States to perform thorough background investigations on citizen applicants and law enforcement officers from other agencies. During his time with the Houston Police Department, Sheriff Fagan won the Officer of the Year Award three times, and also served as President of the African American Police Officer’s League, and was named President Emeritus for his outstanding work on bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement. Sheriff Fagan also worked in the Internal Affairs Division specifically the Alternative Dispute Resolution sections where he served as a mediator/facilitator. He mediated over 200 cases with a 100 percent rate of agreement between parties.
Sheriff Fagan had the privilege of serving on Mayor Tuner’s protection detail where he gained experience in working with city, state, federal, and international dignitaries while ensuring their protection and safety. He is certified by the Texas Department of Public Safety in Dignitary Protection. This training equipped him with the knowledge of protecting domestic and foreign dignitaries, and how to be alarmed for possible terroristic and domestic threats. During Super Bowl LI, he worked with the NFL security team, the FBI, Homeland Security, Metro, Harris County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement municipalities around the City of Houston in planning for and keeping over one million citizens and visitors who attended the event safe.
Fagan’s career has been nothing less than exceptional, and he is the epitome of what great leadership looks like. He enjoys serving the residents of Fort Bend County as their sheriff.
