Michael Barton, Chief Deputy of Enforcement, has been serving in his current position since January 2013.  Prior, Chief Barton served as Assistant Chief of Detention Operations since September 2011.  He also held responsibilities as Assistant Chief of Detention Administration, Joint Terrorism Task Force Investigator with the FBI (Northern District of Alabama), Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigator and Deputy Sheriff assigned to the School Resource Officer unit.  Chief Barton has also been deputized as a Special Deputy United States Marshal.  

Presently, he is a Crisis Negotiator with the Etowah County Special Operations Group, Director of the Etowah County Sheriff's Office Student Leadership Academy, Sheriff's Office Liaison for the Etowah County Community Crisis Chaplain Team and served as the Project Manager for the Etowah County Interoperable Communications System from 2008 to 2010.

Chief Barton holds a graduate certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia and a Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Management from Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama.  He is a graduate of the 240th Session, FBI National Law Enforcement Academy, Quantico, Virginia and a graduate of the Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff's Academy, Birmingham, Alabama.

He is a member of the FBI National Academy Associates, National Sheriff's Association, American Correctional Association and the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.