Captain Steve Schneider is the Commander of the Technology, Information and Innovation Division as well as being the Sheriff's Chief Technology Officer. He acts as the Sheriff's Information Technology (IT) Liaison between the Sheriff's Office and Oakland County IT and manages all the numerous Sheriff's IT projects. He also directly supervises the Information Technology Unit and the Records Unit. Capt. Schneider joined the Sheriff's Office as a Deputy I in 1996. He was promoted to a Deputy II in 1997 (first as a Jail Supervisor and then as a Road Patrol Deputy), to Sergeant in 2004, to Lieutenant in 2014 and to his current position as Captain in 2022.
With over 26 years in Law Enforcement and six years in private sector investigations, Captain Steve Schneider has a vast array of experience in several areas including: Information Technology; Weapons of Mass Destruction and Community Anti-Terrorism Training; Criminal and Civil Investigations; Corrections Management; Inmate Custody and Care; Business and Public Administration and Road Patrol Services. This expertise is the result of Captain Schneider's previous employment with two large private investigations companies and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the 16th largest Sheriff's Office in the United States.
Captain Schneider has received numerous awards, including Command Officer of the Year (2020), Meritorious Service Citations, Professional Excellence Citations and Distinguished Unit Citations.
Capt. Schneider fervently advocates implementing state-of-the-art technology systems and programs, driving change at a rapid pace. Since 2014, he has initiated various cost control programs, including auditing and inventory control measures, yielding significant savings for the Sheriff's Office. In addition, Capt. Schneider created a new IT protocol that has improved efficiency, minimized confusion, increased staff productivity, and reduced Help Desk/Service Center calls an average of 22%. He is also responsible for reporting all crime statistics for the Sheriff's Office, including the accurate and timely forwarding of these statistics to the FBI NIBRS Uniform Crime Reporting Unit. Through various initiatives implemented by Capt. Schneider, the OCSO has seen the integrity of its crime reporting steadily improve.
Capt. Schneider earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (WMU) in 1989 and his Master's degree in Public Administration (CMU) in 2001. He is an adjunct instructor and guest lecturer for both private and public higher educational institutions and has taught law enforcement personnel, as well as private sector individuals, in a variety of relevant subjects. He has attended many 'Train the Trainer' courses covering Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Awareness and is a member of the Oakland County Incident Management Team (IMT). He has completed Federal Type IV Incident Management Team training, COBRA Live Chemical Agent training, Biological Warfare Training, Prevention and Response to Terrorist Bombing courses and Nuclear/Radiological training. Capt. Schneider has taught Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Awareness classes for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. He is Board-Certified in both Homeland Security (CHPP) and Security Management (CPP).