Mark Bishop began his law enforcement career by volunteering as a reserve deputy with the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office in 1997. In 1999, he was hired as a deputy sheriff with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and was assigned to the Corrections Division and also served as an advisor for the Law Enforcement Explorer Post.
He joined the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in September 2001 and was assigned to the Patrol Division and was a field training officer. In 2005, he was assigned as an investigator in the Criminal Investigations Unit where he also served as an evidence technician. In August 2006, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant where initially he was assigned to the Patrol Division. He was assigned to the Administrative Division in late 2006. While assigned to the Administrative Division, he was responsible for sex offender monitoring and compliance for the agency. He also supervised the Records Unit and assisted with processing applicants for employment with the Sheriff’s Office. In 2009, he was assigned as a supervisor in the Criminal Investigations Division where he continued to manage sex offender registration and also supervised the evidence technicians. In late 2012, he returned to the Patrol Division as a shift supervisor.
In 2013, Mark Bishop was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and remained in the Patrol Division acting as one of the night shift watch commanders. In 2015, he assumed collateral duties assisting with the agency’s accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, and in 2016, he became the agency’s accreditation manager. In 2017, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office was re-accredited after receiving its first award in 2014. In 2018, Mark Bishop was assigned to the Administrative Division where he continued as the accreditation manager and was involved in other hiring and community outreach functions.
During his law enforcement career, he served as a negotiator with the Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Unit for 9 years. He has attended the FBI’s Southeastern Leadership Development Seminar, and he was a 2014 graduate of Leadership Shelby County. He has been actively involved in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics for the last 14 years, and in 2018, he was selected to represent Alabama as an officer in Final Leg of the LETR for the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle, WA.
In December 2020, Mark Bishop was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned as the Administrative Division Commander. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Jacksonville State University in 1999, and he received a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Troy University in 2012.