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Former Sarasota County Sheriff Jim Hardcastle dies at 82

He was a Sarasota police patrolman when he became Sarasota County’s seventh sheriff on Jan. 2, 1973.
Credit: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Jim Hardcastle, who served with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office for 13 years, has died, the sheriff's office has announced.

He was 82.

According to the sheriff's office website, Hardcastle was a Sarasota police patrolman when he became Sarasota County’s seventh sheriff on Jan. 2, 1973.

He was credited with modernizing the agency by installing computer dispatch terminals in patrol cars, using propane as an alternative vehicle fuel source and hiring the first female law enforcement deputy. He served until Jan. 8, 1985.

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