August 5, 2025
Former DEA Executive Dan Mahoney hired as Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff
Daniel C. Mahoney, a law enforcement executive with 32 years of experience with the DEA, has been hired as Chief of Staff of the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office.
Mr. Mahoney, who lives in the town of Barnstable, is known as a skilled investigator and a level-headed, organized, and collaborative leader. At the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office, he will oversee special projects, manage communications, coordinate strategic initiatives, and implement department-wide goals, priorities, and policies.
“I believe that public safety is best served when we reduce recidivism through programming, education, and support,” said Sheriff Donna D. Buckley. “We are building something different, and that takes bold, thoughtful leadership. As we move forward, the Chief of Staff will be critical in helping lead this transformation, bridging strategy with implementation and ensuring our values are reflected in our practices.”
Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Mahoney has served in Bogota, Colombia, where he was both a supervisor and a deputy director of the DEA’s Andean Region. He served as the Country Attache in Panama, and as a special agent in Washington D.C., Costa Rica, and Miami. His career afforded him many opportunities to build collaborations, oversee special operations, and deliver briefings to Congressional delegations, ambassadors, and foreign leaders.
His last position with the DEA was as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New England Field Division in Boston, where he managed nine supervisors and 120 multi-agency task force members who targeted drug trafficking and financial crime networks on a national and international scale.
As a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, he was a Class Honor Graduate of the U.S. Army Military Police Academy and served as a military police officer from 1989 to 1995.
His career began at the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office as a summer correctional officer.
Mr. Mahoney begins his duties at the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 11.