In 2014, McGuffey was named regional Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, according to her bio, and two years later, the Ohio Chapter of the National Social Workers honored her as Citizen of the Year.īut even during her rise, McGuffey said, she felt singled out in “one of the harshest male-dominated environments you can imagine.” Under her watch, the Hamilton County Justice Center moved from being Ohio’s worst-ranked large jail to its best in only three years, according to audits by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Corrections. In 2013, McGuffey was promoted to major in command of jail and court services, making her the highest-ranking woman in department history. Rising through the ranks, she received glowing reviews and numerous accolades over more than three decades of service. That changed by the time McGuffey graduated, and she joined the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in 1983. © Tyler SmettsĬharmaine McGuffey, left, with her wife, Christine Sandusky (Tyler Smetts) But when she enrolled at the University of Cincinnati in the late 1970s, women weren’t allowed to be uniformed patrol officers. She maintains it was because she spoke out against excessive force - and because she is an openly gay woman.īorn and raised in Cincinnati, McGuffey said she knew she wanted to be a police officer by the time she was 14. In a pending lawsuit against the department she will soon lead, McGuffey says she was the one subjected to a toxic workplace. Neil insists he terminated McGuffey for creating a hostile work environment. McGuffey, 63, made headlines in the primary where she challenged the incumbent, Jim Neil, who fired her from the sheriff’s department three years ago. Charmaine McGuffey, an out lesbian, has been elected sheriff of Hamilton County, Ohio.

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