Perry County Sheriff Alan Malone retires after more than 30 years

Perry County Sheriff Alan Malone ended his more than 30-year law-enforcement career, and the county office now lists Dave Faulkenberg as sheriff. The change lands at an agency that handles patrol coverage, investigations, jail coordination and court service for residents across Perry County.

Malone served as sheriff from 2015 to 2025, following Lee Chestnut’s 2010 to 2015 term. His career began with the Florida Department of Corrections from 1989 to 1993, extending his time in corrections and policing well beyond a decade in county leadership.

During his time in office, Malone put a heavy emphasis on community policing. He helped start National Night Out with the Tell City Police Department and helped create a Citizens Police Academy, giving the sheriff’s office a more visible role beyond daily enforcement calls and courthouse duties.

He also stayed involved in jail programming. In 2020, talking about a GED program at the Perry County Detention Center, Malone said that once inmates completed their sentences, it was his goal “to never see them again.” That approach tied rehabilitation to the sheriff’s office’s broader public-safety mission, which also includes work with other agencies on major incidents.

The sheriff’s office operates from 2211 Herrman Street in Tell City, and its public services include the inmate list, posting bond, scheduling inmate visits, adding phone time, accident reports, sheriff sales, commissary and a sex-offender hotline. With Malone out of the top job, Faulkenberg inherits the same responsibilities and the same expectation of steady leadership for daily operations in county government.