Sheriffs_in_the_United_States

Sheriffs in the United States

In the United States, a sheriff is generally (but not always) the highest law enforcement officer of a county and commander of militia in that county. A distinct part of policing in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected. The political election of a person to serve as a police leader is an almost uniquely American tradition. (The Honorary Police of Jersey, a UK Crown Dependencies in the Channel Islands, have been elected since at least the 16th century.))

There are about 3,500 county sheriff's departments in the United States; they range from one- or two-member forces to the 11,000-member Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The average sheriff's department in the United States employs 24.5 sworn officers. The nation's sheriffs are represented by the National Sheriffs' Association, founded in 1940.

In many rural areas of the United States, particularly in the South, the sheriff has traditionally been viewed as one of a given county's most influential political office-holders.

Deputy Sheriff

All law enforcement officers working for the agency headed by a sheriff are called sheriff's deputies, deputy sheriffs, sheriff's police, or sheriff's officer and are so called because they are deputized by the sheriff to perform the same duties as he. (In some states, however, a sheriff may not be a sworn officer but merely an elected official in charge of sworn officers.) These officers may be subdivided into general deputies and special deputies. In some places, the sheriff has the responsibility to recover any deceased persons within their county. That is why often the full title is Deputy Sheriff-Coroner, Deputy Sheriff Coroner or Deputy Sheriff/Coroner, and the sheriff's title is Sheriff Coroner or Sheriff/Coroner. The second-in-command of the department is sometimes called an undersheriff or "Chief Deputy". This is akin to the deputy chief of police position of a police department. In some counties, the undersheriff is the Warden of the county jail or other local correctional institution.

Jurisdiction and legal basis

In the U.S., the relationship between the sheriff and other police departments varies widely from state to state, and indeed in some states from county to county. In the Northeast, the sheriff's duties have been greatly reduced with the advent of state-level law enforcement agencies, especially the state police and local agencies such as the county police.

Duties

Most sheriffs' offices have a responsibility for law enforcement, their basic function which dates all the way back to the origins of the office in feudal England. Although the authority of the sheriff varies from state to state, a sheriff or his deputies (in all states except Delaware where it is going through arbitration) has the power to make arrests within his or her own jurisdiction. Some states extend this authority to adjacent counties or to the entire state.

Many sheriffs' offices also perform routine patrol functions such as traffic control, accident investigations, and transportation of prisoners. Larger departments may perform criminal investigations or engage in other specialized law enforcement activities. Some unusually large sheriffs' offices may have an air patrol (including fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters), a mounted patrol or a marine patrol at their disposal.

Many sheriffs enlist the aid of local neighborhoods in working to prevent crime. The National Neighborhood Watch Program, sponsored by the National Sheriffs' Association, allows citizens and law enforcement officials to cooperate in keeping communities safe.

As the sheriff's law enforcement duties become more extensive and complex, new career opportunities for people with specialized skills are opening up in sheriff's offices around the country. Among the specialties now in demand are underwater diving, piloting, boating, skiing, radar technology, communications, computer technology, accounting, emergency medicine, and foreign languages (especially Spanish).

Sheriff offices may coexist with other county level law enforcement agencies such as the County police, County park police, etc.

Sheriff's categories

Sheriffs in the United States generally fall into three broad categories:

Restricted service — provide basic court related services such as keeping the county jail, transporting prisoners, providing courthouse security and other duties with regard to service of process and summonses that are issued by county and state courts. The sheriff also often conducts auction sales of real property in foreclosure in many jurisdictions, and is often also empowered to conduct seizures of chattel property to satisfy a judgment. In other jurisdictions, these civil process duties are performed by other officers, such as a marshal or constable.

Limited service — along with the above, perform some type of traditional law-enforcement function such as investigations and patrol. This may be limited to security police duties on county properties (and others by contract) to the performance of these duties in unincorporated areas of the county, and some incorporated areas by contract.

Full service — The most common type, provide all traditional law-enforcement functions, including countywide patrol and investigations irrespective of municipal boundaries.

Note that the federal equivalent to the office of sheriff is the United States Marshal, an agency of the Department of Justice. There are 94 United States Marshals, one U.S. Marshal for each federal judicial district; the Marshal and his or her deputies are responsible for the transport of prisoners and security for the United States district courts, and also issue and enforce certain civil process. There is also a Marshal of the Supreme Court who performs all court related duties.

Sheriff types by state

Alabama

Alaska

The office of sheriff does not exist in Alaska. Instead the functions that would be performed by deputy sheriffs (such as civil process and prisoner transport) are performed by Alaska State Troopers. Court security is provided by contracted security guards.

Arizona

In Arizona, a sheriff is an elected official and the chief law enforcement officer in any given county. There exists one sheriff for each of Arizona's 15 counties, with a varying number of deputies and assorted staff (usually dependent on population). A sheriff's office (the term "department" is incorrect where Arizona is concerned) generally provides law enforcement services to unincorporated towns and cities within the boundaries of their county. In addition, many sheriff's offices have agreements with the Arizona Department of Corrections and local police agencies to provide for the transport and detention of prisoners. After sentencing, many convicted persons are handed over to the AZDOC to serve their sentence, but this has not always been the case.

Arizona is unique in that many sheriff's offices have formed semi-permanent posse units which can be operated as a reserve to the main deputized force under a variety of circumstances (and not just for fugitive retrieval as is historically associated with the term).

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is the currently the largest sheriff's office in Arizona. It is headed by the well-known and controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Arkansas

California

In California, the sheriff's department of each county polices those areas of the county that do not lie within the jurisdiction of a police department (e.g., incorporated cities). As such, the sheriff and his or deputies in rural areas and unincorporated municipalities are equivalent to police officers in the cities. The sheriff's department may also provide policing services to incorporated cities by contract; see contract city.

All peace officers in California are able to enforce their powers anywhere in the state regardless of county or municipal boundaries, thus California sheriffs have full police powers in incorporated and unincorporated municipalities, outside their own county, and state freeways.

Before 2000, there was a constable or marshal in each county who was responsible for providing bailiffs to the courts and for serving criminal and civil process. During a reorganization of the state judicial system in the early 2000s, the roles of marshal and sheriff were merged, so that California sheriffs assumed the duties of most marshals, and the position of constable was eliminated.

Los Angeles Sheriff Department

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) serves Los Angeles County, California. With over 11,000 people, it is the largest Sheriff department in the United States and provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, serving as the equivalent of the county police for unincorporated areas of the county as well as incorporated cities within the county who have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services (known as "contract cities" in local jargon). It also holds primary jurisdiction over facilities operated by Los Angeles County, such as local parks, marinas and government buildings (but delegates much of that authority to the Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety); provides marshal service for the Superior Court of California - County of Los Angeles; operates the county jail system; and provides services such as laboratories and academy training to smaller law enforcement agencies within the county.

San Francisco

Interestingly, because the City and County of San Francisco are consolidated and coterminous (and are the only city and county in California to be so), the San Francisco Sheriff historically possessed police authority. However, as the San Francisco Police Department provides general police service for the city, the Sheriff's Department handles judicial duties, staffs the jail, and provides security for city facilities such as San Francisco City Hall and San Francisco General Hospital. However, San Francisco Sheriff's deputies are still sworn peace officers and can back-up their SFPD brethren as needed, as well as make arrests for any crimes they come across while performing their official duties.

Connecticut

Connecticut abolished County Sheriffs in 2000 by Public Act 00-01. All civil-process-serving deputies were sworn in as State Marshals and criminal special deputies were sworn in as Judicial Marshals. Constables remain municipal officers governed by their respective town or city.

Delaware

The first Constitution of Delaware in 1776 made the sheriffs the conservators of the peace within the three counties of the state which are New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. The Sheriffs are chosen by the citizens of each county at the general elections to serve a three year term. The Sheriffs ensured that the peace of the county be kept; arrested all persons committing riot, murder, theft, or breach of the peace and carried them before a Justice of the Peace. Sheriffs would appoint such number of Deputies to assist them in their duties. In 1805 the Sheriffs were required to attend Court when it was in session. In 1873 the Sheriffs became responsible to transport and provide prison camps for convicted criminals.

The Sheriff's responsibility has changed. There is some debate within the state as to the duties and authority of the Sheriff. Today's responsibilities includes processing orders of the court, summoning people for hearings, and executing sales against property.

Florida

Florida sheriffs are elected in the general elections and serve as the chief law enforcement officer of the county. The sheriff's office is responsible for law enforcement, corrections, and court services within the county. The law enforcement deputies provide police service to the unincorporated areas, the detention deputies work within the county jail, and the court service deputies handle the civil process of serving papers. Although each county sheriff's office is an independent agency, they all wear the "Florida's sheriff green" uniform with similar badges and patches, and drive vehicles with green and gold designs.

Since the consolidation of Duval County and the City of Jacksonville governments in 1968, a unified law enforcement force usually styled the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) was created. Commanded by the elected Sheriff of Duval County, its members are referred to as "Sheriff's Police Officers" rather than deputies. JSO uniforms are dark navy blue, and patrol vehicles typically sport a gold stripe with navy blue "Sheriff" lettering.

Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade County (formerly Dade County), which has two sheriffs/directors appointed by its county commission. In Miami-Dade County, the duties of the two appointed directors is as follows:

One sheriff is simultaneously the Metropolitan Sheriff and the Director of Public Safety. As the Director of Public Safety he serves as the chief of the Miami-Dade Police Department. The organization was made famous by the television series Miami Vice and CSI Miami.
The other is a sheriff and Director of Corrections (of the Miami-Dade Department of Corrections) and is charged with the care and custody of prisoners

Georgia

One of five county officials listed in the state constitution, sheriffs in Georgia are full-service county officers. Article IX, Section I of the constitution specifies that sheriffs "shall be elected by the qualified voters of their respective counties for a term of four years and shall have such qualifications, powers and duties as provided by general law." However, several metropolitan counties have opted to form a county police to perform law enforcement functions leaving the sheriff to court functions. Others also have a county marshal who provide civil law enforcement.

Most of the qualifications, powers and duties of a sheriff in Georgia are detailed in Title 15, Chapter 16 of state law. Among other things, the law states that "the sheriff is the basic law enforcement officer of the several counties of this state." Section 10 makes it clear that the sheriff has as much authority within municipalities as he does in unincorporated areas of his county, although many sheriffs refrain from performing standard law-enforcement functions within municipalities that have their own police department unless specifically requested to do so, or are required to do so in order to fulfill other provisions in state law.

In addition to law enforcement, sheriffs or their deputies execute and return all processes and orders of the courts; receive, transport, and maintain custody of incarcerated individuals for court; attend the place or places of holding elections; keep all courthouses, jails, public grounds, and other county property; maintain a register of all precious-metal dealers; enforce the collection of taxes that may be due to the state; as well as numerous other duties.

The office of Sheriff in Georgia existed in colonial times, and was included in the first official constitution of Georgia in 1777. There is no limit to how many terms a sheriff may serve. Title 15, Chapter 16, Section 40 of Georgia law specifies that, upon reaching 75 years of age, a sheriff who has held that office for 45 or more years automatically holds the honorary office of sheriff emeritus of the State of Georgia.

In metropolitan counties the sheriff's responsibilities have changed from that of being the sole law enforcement official for their counties, to performing only traditional court-related functions but with wide-ranging duties in coordination with a county police department in the suburbs of the state capital and major cities. When these county police departments were formed they assumed patrol, investigative, crime fighting, and transportation safety responsibilities.

Hawaii

In Hawaii, the Office of Sheriff falls under the Sheriff Division of the Hawaii Department of Public Safety. It is the functional equivalent of a state police department and has the distinction of making Hawaii the only U.S. state without an officially named state police department and one of two with a statewide Sheriff's Department (the other being Rhode Island). Although the Sheriff Division's jurisdiction covers the entire state, its primary functions are judicial and executive protection, security at the Hawaii State Capitol, law enforcement at Hawaii's airports, narcotics enforcement, prisoner transportation, the processing and service of court orders and warrants, and the patrol of certain roads and waterways in conjunction with other state agencies.

Idaho

Illinois

In Illinois, the sheriff is the highest law enforcement authority in each county; however, incorporated municipalities, regardless of their sizes, are responsible for primary law enforcement within their jurisdiction. Therefore, the sheriffs' departments generally concentrate their police functions on unincorporated areas. In addition, many small municipalities pay the sheriff's department a portion of their law enforcement funds for the sheriff to act as their primary law enforcement: usually either overnight, which allows the local police department to operate with local officers during the day; or full-time, relieving the village of needing its own police department.

In addition to providing policing, the sheriff's department controls the county jail, guards the courthouse, acts as the process server for court documents such as summonses, and oversees evictions, even inside municipalities with their own police forces.

Cook County

The Cook County Sheriff's Office is the second largest in the United States, with over 6,900 members. Due to its size, the Cook County Sheriff's Office divides its operations by task into 8 departments, the most recognizable of which is the Cook County Sheriff's Court Services Department. The much smaller Cook County Sheriff 's Police Department provides traditional police services in Unincorporated Cook County while the Department of Corrections staffs the Cook County Department of Corrections.

All Cook County Sheriff's Police Officers are Cook County Sheriff's deputies, but not all Cook County Sheriff's deputies are Sheriff's Police Officers. Police Officer is a job function and title within the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department. It should be noted; that, all Cook County Sheriff's Deputies have Police Powers regardless of their particular job function or title. Like other sheriffs' departments in Illinois, the Sheriff's Police can provide all traditional law-enforcement functions, including county-wide patrol and investigations irrespective of municipal boundaries, even in the city of Chicago, but has traditionally limited its police patrol functions to unincorporated areas of the county because unincorporated areas are the primary jurisdiction of a Sheriff's Department in Illinois.

The Sheriff's Police patrol services are often not required in incorporated cities because the cities such as Chicago have established their own police departments. The 500-600 member Sheriff's Police Department would not have the personnel necessary to supply full police services to all incorporated areas in Cook County especially in a municipality such as Chicago.

Sheriff's deputies, outside the Sheriff's Police, provide the other services of the sheriff, such as guarding the various courthouses in Cook County, running and guarding the 9,800-detainee Cook County Jail, and overseeing other offender rehabilitation programs.

Indiana

In Indiana, county sheriffs are elected to office and limited by the state constitution to serving no more than two four-year terms consecutively. Indiana sheriffs are empowered to make arrests of persons who commit an offense within the sheriff's view, and take them before a court of the county having jurisdiction, and detain them in custody until the cause of the arrest has been investigated. They possess a general power to suppress breaches of the peace, calling the power of the county to the sheriff's aid if necessary; pursue and jail felons; serve and execute judicial process; attend and preserve order in all courts of the county; take care of the county jail and the prisoners there; take photographs, fingerprints, and other identification data as the sheriff shall prescribe of persons taken into custody for felonies or misdemeanors. They are required to provide an accounting to the state department of correction concerning the costs of incarcerating prisoners in the county.

Somewhat unusual among the states, Indiana sheriffs are paid a salary out of which they must feed the prisoners in the county jails in their charge. They must account for the money they spend on prisoner's food; many counties' agreement with the sheriff's department allows the elected sheriff to keep the remaining funds allocated. As a result, in many Indiana counties, the position of sheriff is one of the more lucrative of the elected officials, and the elections for sheriff are frequently hotly contested and draw larger numbers of candidates than most other county elective positions.

Indiana Sheriffs may also appoint Special Deputies to act as private security police for businesses.

Kentucky

Sheriffs in Kentucky are elected for four-year terms and are not term limited. Kentucky Sheriff's are the chief law-enforcement officers in their county. Sheriff's departments in Kentucky have full police powers in all areas of their particular county, including incorporated cities. In most cases, however, they will patrol in cities only when requested by the mayor and/or the chief of police, or in the case of a major emergency. Deputies will jointly patrol unincorporated areas of their county with the Kentucky State Police, who have full statewide police authority. In addition, sheriffs in Kentucky are responsible for court security, serving court papers and transporting prisoners. They are also responsible for collecting taxes on real estate and tangible property.

One of the main differences between Kentucky sheriffs and sheriffs in other states is that Kentucky sheriffs do not run the county jails. County jails are run by a separate elected officer called a jailer who has the authority to employ deputy jailers. The sheriff's office, however, may be asked by the jailer to assist with jail security in the event of an emergency.

Deputy sheriffs, like municipal police officers, must be trained and certified as peace officers through the Kentucky Department of Justice Law Enforcement Training Center at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, unless they have previously completed another recognized police academy. To maintain certification, all certified peace officers must complete forty hours of in-service training annually. Sheriff's themselves, however, are not mandated to be trained and certified as the job requirements for sheriff are described in the Kentucky Constitution, rather than the Kentucky Revised Statutes. Many sheriffs, however, do choose to receive this training if they had not received it as a law enforcement officer with another agency prior to their election.

Louisiana

The Louisiana constitution establishes the office of sheriff in each parish, except Orleans Parish which has two sheriffs, each elected to a term of four years (Const. Art. V, §27). The sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the parish and has both criminal and civil jurisdiction. The sheriff is in charge of all criminal investigations and is responsible for executing court orders and process. The sheriff is the collector of ad valorem taxes and other taxes and license fees as provided by law and is the keeper of the public jail in the parish. Article V, Section 32 provides for the offices of civil sheriff and criminal sheriff in Orleans Parish. State & Local Government in Louisiana, Chapter 3 Local Government, Part. II. Constitutional Offices.

Orleans Parish

Orleans Parish currently has two sheriffs:

The Criminal Sheriff, operates Orleans Parish Prison; and performs security, serves process, and performs enforcement functions for the Criminal District Court. Deputies are state-commissioned peace officers and are empowered to enforce all the laws of the state and ordinances of the parish. In addition, the Criminal Sheriff operates a Search & Rescue unit for maritime operations, as part of the Special Operations Division.

The Civil Sheriff, under Louisiana Revised Statute 13:1311, "...and the constables of the First and Second City Courts of New Orleans and their deputies, are hereby granted the powers of peace officers when carrying out the duties of the court, and are authorized to require incarceration of the subject involved in any of the city, parish or state prisons, precinct stations, or houses of detention in the parish of Orleans. They shall be exempt from liability for their actions in the exercise of this power in the same manner and fashion as liability is excluded generally for peace officers of this state and political subdivisions.

Under Louisiana Revised Statute 33:1500, Orleans Parish criminal and civil sheriffs' offices will be merged into one office by 2010 as a result of legislation passed to merge the Criminal and Civil Courts into one consolidated district court, as in all other Louisiana parishes.

Maryland

In Maryland, per the State Constitution, each county shall have an elected sheriff that serves a term of four years with all deputy sheriff's required to be sworn law enforcement officials with full arrest authority by the state's governing agency, the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission. In all counties (except for Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George's), the County Sheriff is the primary law enforcement agency charged with investigating crimes, enforcing traffic laws, enforcing orders of the court, and transporting, housing, and controlling the county jail inmate population.

In Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Howard County, and Montgomery County the Sheriff's Office still retains its law enforcement authority in all areas, however, their duties are strictly limited to enforcing orders of the court except in rare instances where called upon by the County Police or other law enforcement to assist. In Prince George's County, the Sheriff's Office and the County Police share the responsibility of county law enforcement. The Prince George's County Police still enforce the vast majority of crimes and traffic laws. Along with the traditional duties of enforcing all orders of the court, the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office responds to all domestic calls for service within the county's District III, is in place at all county high schools, is a part of the Homeland Security Task Force, and the FBI Task Force. Within Maryland, the size of each county's Sheriff's Office varies greatly from forces of approximately 30 sworn to well over 300 in the more populated counties.

Massachusetts

Most Massachusetts counties currently exist only as geographic regions, and have no county government. All former county functions were assumed by state agencies in the late 1990s-early 2000. Each county still elects their own sheriff to a 6 year term. The duties of the office of the Sheriff are essentially limited to Corrections and process serving, and include no general law enforcement or patrol function (Restricted service). Policing in the Commonwealth is provided at the (local) town or city level, and in some rural cases, by the Massachusetts State Police. Some Sherff's Departments maintain volunteer traffic divisions and assist with crowd control and traffic direction during public events, in a function similar to Auxiliary Police, but in general Sheriffs no longer have the same broad (Chapter 90) vehicle enforcement powers that regular police enjoy (for example, they are not issued Massachusetts Uniform Citation books and cannot issue traffic tickets). Although they do not perform public safety or patrol functions, Sheriffs do still maintain most of their general statutory arrest powers in the Commonwealth's constitution. As such, it is a common practice to have Campus Police officers at private universities sworn as Deputy Sheriffs in their respective counties, so as to grant them more broad arrest powers outside of their immediate campus property.

Michigan

In Michigan, sheriffs are constitutionally mandated, elected county officials. All sheriff's offices have general law enforcement powers throughout their entire county, as well as traditional judicial-process, court-protection (bailiff) and jail-operation powers. Sheriff's offices may primarily patrol areas of their county without municipal police services; however, they are free to patrol anywhere in their county, including cities, villages and charter townships that have their own police services. Occasionally, this results in conflict over jurisdiction between municipal police agencies and sheriff's offices.

In some counties (primarily urban counties such as Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Genesee, Saginaw, Bay, Midland and Washtenaw), sheriff's offices provide dedicated police services under contract to some municipalities, in lieu of those municipalities providing their own police services. (Michigan law provides for or requires municipalities, depending upon their structure, to provide dedicated police services.)

The sheriffs of all 83 Michigan counties are members of the Michigan Sheriffs' Association. This professional organization, formed in 1877, promulgates standardized insignias that are used, to varying degrees, by all Michigan sheriff's offices on their uniforms and vehicles.

Notably, the Michigan State Police have general law-enforcement powers throughout the entire state. Thus, all Michigan residents have at least two levels of general police services (state police and sheriff's offices), while residents of a municipality that has its own police service have a third level of general police service.

Michigan law mandates the county sheriff be responsible for execution of all civil judgments by the circuit court, be primary law enforcement of all inland lakes via a marine division and run the county jail. The law also mandates the sheriff's "office" be established in the county seat.

Currently the Oakland County Sheriff's Department is the largest full service sheriff's department in the state.

Nebraska

All Nebraska counties have sheriff's departments responsible for general law-enforcement functions in areas other than those covered by local city police departments. In larger cities such as Omaha or Lincoln, sheriff's departments perform mainly judicial duties such as serving warrants and providing courtroom security. Sheriff's deputies in Nebraska are certified by the state law-enforcement commission and have full arrest powers.

Nebraska State Troopers are sworn state deputy sheriffs and are authorized to perform police services in all of Nebraska's 93 counties. (See the Nebraska State Patrol website)

New Hampshire

The New Hampshire position of High Sheriff dates back to pre-Revolutionary War days. Today, there are 10 counties and 10 High Sheriffs in New Hampshire. The ten sheriffs are the highest ranking and most powerful uniformed law-enforcement officers in the state. The state constitution gives the sheriff and deputy sheriffs in each county full law-enforcement authority throughout the county. In 1911, this authority was expanded by the state legislature to include the entire state. Sheriffs are elected to two-year terms without term limits. The sheriff is responsible for patrol duties (depending on the county, this function may be limited), civil process, transport of prisoners, and criminal and civil warrants. Most county sheriff's offices provide dispatch service for many of the county's communities. Sheriffs are also responsible for the security in all the county courthouses throughout the state. Finally, sheriff are responsible for the prisoners in the local district courts throughout the state.

New Jersey

Sheriffs in New Jersey are sworn law-enforcement officers with full arrest powers. They also serve writs and other legal process and perform court-security functions. In some counties, responsibility for the county jail rests with the sheriff's office; in other counties, this responsibility rests with a separate corrections department. In most counties, the police functions provided by the sheriff's office are limited to patrolling county property such as parks, courts, county facilities, and roads; plus, providing specialized units and support to local police, e.g., bomb squads, emergency response (SWAT) and investigative units. It should also be noted that the Essex County Sheriff's Bureau of Narcotics is the second oldest Narcotics Unit in the State of New Jersey. This Unit will be featured in the upcoming film American Gangster which stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. The Essex County Sheriff also holds the unique title of the Office of Emergency Management, and serves the most populated area in the State, as well as the City of Newark, which is one of New Jersey's largest cities.

Note: Both Bergen County and Union County also have separate county-wide police forces, which fulfills many of the police functions provided by sheriff's offices in other counties.

Essentially, all areas of New Jersey are incorporated municipalities and the vast majority have their own local police agencies that provide general law enforcement. The New Jersey State Police provides primary law enforcement in only a few rural areas in Southern and North Western NJ that lack local police.

New York

Like most other states, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs in the State of New York are regular law-enforcement officers with full police powers and duties such as patrol work, prisoner transport, civil process, and court security.

Many sheriffs' offices in New York State also have canine, marine, aviation and SWAT units, as well as various other specialized units. In N.Y., the Undersheriff is often the Warden of the county jail.

Until recently, most sheriff's officers wore a standardized uniform (black pants and shirt with dark gray straw Stetson hat in the summer and a black felt Stetson hat in the winter with a black Class A jacket for the dress uniform and a black leather jacket for the winter) and all patrol vehicles were marked in the same manner (white with red stripes, etc.). Several counties have moved away from these practices. Patrol cars in these counties have different vehicle markings, and deputy sheriffs wear different uniforms. Some examples are Ulster County, which has dark gray uniforms similar to the New York State Police; and Warren County, whose deputy sheriffs wear tan shirts with dark brown pants. In Suffolk County, the sheriff vehicles are black and white (similar to the police/sheriff vehicle scheme used in California). Ontario County Sheriff's deputies wear the traditional uniform; black pants, black shirt with brass buttons, and a black stetson.

Currently there are 57 county sheriff's offices, and one city sheriff's office, (see below) which covers the five boroughs (counties) of New York City. The largest sheriff's office in New York State is the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office with around 275 deputy sheriffs and 850 correction officers, followed by the Nassau County Sheriff's Department with around 100 deputy sheriffs and 1,000 correction officers.

Sheriffs in New York State (outside of New York City, Nassau and Westchester Counties) are elected for three or four-year terms, depending on the vote of the county government, specifically the county legislature. The Sheriff of New York City is appointed by the mayor (see below) and the Sheriffs of Nassau County and Westchester County are appointed by the county executives of those respective counties.

New York City

The City of New York, although it comprises five counties, currently has a single Sheriff's Office. Under a sheriff appointed by the mayor, the NYC Sheriff's Office serves the entire city and acts primarily as the enforcer of civil judgments won by the city against people and businesses, though deputy sheriffs retain their status as peace officers and therefore law enforcement officers. The placement of the sheriff's office under the city's Department of Finance, which is responsible for collecting taxes and fines, indicates the most common activities of the New York City Sheriff's Office. Other traditional sheriff's functions are handled by professional departments of the city (the New York City Police Department oversees law enforcement; the Department of Corrections manages the city's jails; the Office of the Medical Examiner handles the coroner functions; Court Officers handle security for the courts themselves and in lock-ups within court buildings; and so on).

The sheriff or his deputies serve processes and writs; handle evictions from city apartments or buildings seized for nonpayment of taxes; serve mental hygiene and Family Court warrants to take persons into custody for committal or guardianship; enforce traffic and parking laws, particularly in seizing automobiles the owners of which have failed to pay parking fines; and conducting sheriff's sales of real and personal property seized.

The Administrative Division controls the five county divisions (each corresponding to a borough). The department also has five Undersheriffs, one per borough, deputy sheriffs and clerical staff.

There are currently about 150 deputy sheriffs employed by the NYC Sheriff's Office. Deputies have full peace officer powers and are allowed to carry firearms on and off duty (as per the New York State Penal Code).

The sheriff is not to be confused with City Marshals, who are licensed by the city as private businessmen to be hired by people and businesses to enforce their own civil judgments. For instance, while the sheriff seizes land or cars for nonpayment of taxes or fines, the marshals may be hired by private owners to evict tenants or seize property as a result of a default on a loan.

North Carolina

The office of sheriff is constitutionally mandated in North Carolina. It is an elected law enforcement office.

The sheriff has duties in all three branches of law enforcement: Policing, Courts/Criminal Justice and Corrections/Jail. The Office of the Sheriff is the primary law enforcement agency for the unincorporated areas of North Carolina's counties. The Sheriff, as the County's chief law enforcement officer, has jurisdiction anywhere in the County, including municipalities, where the Sheriff's Office provides assistance and support to local law enforcement agencies.

Law enforcement duties of this Office include patrolling the counties, preventing crime, investigating violations of the law, and apprehending law violators. In addition, support services, such as communications, evidence, and property control services are provided. The Sheriff is also responsible for keeping and maintaining the common jail of the county, which currently consists of separate detention facilities at the County Public Safety Centers and the Detention Annex if required by the counties. The Office is responsible for transporting prisoners for court appearances.

In the area of judicial services, the Office of the Sheriff serves as the enforcement arm of the North Carolina General Court of Justice. The Office serves civil and criminal processes issued by the courts, which often includes arresting persons and bringing them before the courts, as well as the seizure and sale of personal and real property to satisfy court judgments. The Sheriff is responsible for courtroom security in the District and Superior courtrooms in the county.

Other miscellaneous duties of the Office mandated by the State include pistol purchase permits, concealed handgun permits, parade and picketing permits, and maintaining registries of sexual offenders and domestic violators.

In North Carolina, the sheriff is elected to a 4-year term. A county sheriff is responsible not to county authorities but to the citizens of the county. County governments are responsible for providing funding to the Sheriff's Office.

Exceptions

Exceptions to the County Sheriff in North Carolina are that of two of North Carolina's Counties,Gaston and Mecklenburg.

These Counties have a police force for the whole county, as well as a Sheriff Department that is responsible for the jails.

In Gaston County, the Gaston County Police is responsible for county-wide police services for the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county, while overlapping with City and Township police. The Gaston County Sheriffs Department is responsible for the jails and the court system in Gastonia, the county seat.

In Charlotte, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are responsible for the incorporated areas of Charlotte, and the unincorporated areas of the county. While the Sheriffs Department is responsible for the Jails in the northern end of the County, as the southern end is controlled by CMPD.

Ohio

Until Ohio achieved statehood in 1803, the position of Sheriff was filled through appointments made at the pleasure of the Territorial Governor, Arthur St. Clair. The first Sheriff on the record in Ohio was Colonel Ebenezer Sproat. At the time he was appointed in 1788, Colonel Sproat's jurisdiction covered all of Washington County. This enormous area of land included all of eastern Ohio from the Ohio River to Lake Erie.

After statehood, only three public offices in Ohio were filled via the electoral-process system. The position of Sheriff was one of them. Through this new system, William Skinner became the first elected Sheriff in the Buckeye State. Since the early 1800s, Ohio sheriffs have been elected on the county level by the people they serve. The term of office for county sheriffs in Ohio is four years.

In each of the 88 counties of Ohio, the sheriff is the chief law-enforcement officer. His primary duties are to provide common pleas court services and corrections on a countywide basis, and full police protection to the unincorporated areas of the county. However, he also maintains full police jurisdiction in all municipalities, townships, and villages. In an effort to become consistent on a statewide level, Ohio sheriffs and deputies wear a standardized uniform, and all patrol vehicles are marked in the same manner.

Within Ohio, sheriff's offices have probably one of the most extensive sets of responsibilities to those they serve. By statute they must provide the following: line law enforcement; court security and service of papers; jail operations; extradition process; and transportation of prisoners.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma's Sheriffs, whose primary role is as an officer of the court, provide full services, that is, providing tradition law-enforcement functions such as countywide patrol and investigations. As the chief peace officer of each of Oklahoma's 77 counties, the Sheriffs serve and execute all process, writs, precepts and orders issued or made by lawful authorities, namely the courts. The Sheriff's office also provides security for judges and courthouses. The Sheriffs are in charge of and have custody over the jail of their county, and all the prisoners in the jail are under the Sheriff's supervision, with the Sheriff serving as the county's jailer.

Under their law-enforcement responsibilities, the Sheriffs are responsible for ensuring that the peace is preserved, riots are suppressed, and that unlawful assemblies and insurrections are controlled throughout their county. To ensure justice is administered, the Sheriff is empowered to apprehend any person charged with a felony or breach of the peace and may attend any court within the county. The Sheriffs are also empowered to conscript any person or persons of their county that they may deem necessary to fulfill their duties.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania sheriffs may have all the traditional sheriff powers, but in practice perform only traditional court-related functions since the establishment of the Pennsylvania State Police in 1905. The status of Pennsylvania's county sheriffs was in a legal gray area for many years. While sheriffs routinely provided court security, prisoner transport, and civil process services, it was unclear whether they had actual law-enforcement powers. In the 1970s through the early 1990s, a number of defendants charged by deputy sheriffs with crimes attempted to suppress the results of their arrests on the basis that the deputies were not bona fide law-enforcement officers. In Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Leet, a 1991 decision by the Pennsylvania Superior Court, a 2–1 majority of the Court held that deputy sheriffs had no law-enforcement powers. That decision was reversed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in a 1994 decision by Justice John P. Flaherty, which held that sheriffs do indeed have the power to enforce motor-vehicle laws. In his majority opinion, Justice Flaherty spent a great deal of time exploring the historical roots of the office of Sheriff and concluded that the powers developed as a matter of common law:

Though it may be unnecessary to cite additional authority, Blackstone confirms the common law power of the sheriff to make arrests without warrant for felonies and for breaches of the peace committed in his presence. Blackstone, Commentaries on the Common Law, Vol. IV, at 289. Indeed, such powers are so widely known and so universally recognized that it is hardly necessary to cite authority for the proposition. To make the point, how few children would question that the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham had at least the authority to arrest Robin Hood.

Presently, every Pennsylvania county has a Sheriff's Office. This has led to some overlap in places such as Allegheny County, where the Allegheny County Police is responsible for supporting local law-enforcement and patrolling county-owned property, including the Pittsburgh International Airport. Similarly, the Delaware County Courthouse and Park Police Department provides security police functions. With the newly expanded powers of the County Sheriff, however, this has led to some power struggles.

Philadelphia County

As part of the City of Philadelphia the Sheriff is elected for a four year term and provides basic court related services such as transporting prisoners, providing courthouse security and other duties with regard to service of process and summonses that are issued by county and state courts. The sheriff also often conducts auction sales of real property in foreclosure in many jurisdictions, and is often also empowered to conduct seizures of chattel property to satisfy a judgment.The Philadelphia Sheriff's Department, which has made clear its intent to carry out community law-enforcement while continuing its statutory duties. This would obviously conflict with the role of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Division of the State Sheriff is a state executive office with an Executive High Sheriff responsible for State Sheriff operations and 3 county sheriffs responsible for County duties. Rhode Island counties provide only judicial functions.

The Rhode Island State Sheriff's Department comprises one hundred, ninety-six men and women who are assigned to various job functions within Rhode Island's four County Court facilities: Providence County, Kent County, Newport County and Washington County. Note that the court facility in Bristol County was closed in 2002. They also serve at the Inmate Custody, Control and Transportation Unit in Cranston.

The functions of the Department include Courtroom and Judicial Security, Court Facility and Cellblock Operations, Inmate Transportation, Interstate Extraditions and Interstate Inmate Transfers, Writ Services, Body Attachments, Fugitive Apprehension, Narcotics Interdiction, Search and Rescue, and Special Operations.

The Executive High Sheriff is responsible for the overall administration of the Department. He works with a command staff consisting of a Major, the three County Sheriffs, Chiefs Deputy Sheriff, Captains, Lieutenants and Sergeants. Kent, Newport and Washington Counties each have a County Sheriff who are charged with the responsibility of supervising their respective county court facility and all assigned personnel.

Tennessee

The Tennessee Constitution requires each county to elect a sheriff to a four-year term. In all Tennessee counties except one, the sheriff is an official with full police powers, usually county-wide, although Tennessee sheriffs and their deputies generally perform the patrol portion of their duties primarily in unincorporated areas of their counties if the municipalities have their own police departments. The exception to the rule is Davidson County. In Davidson County, the sheriff has the primary responsibility of serving civil process and jail functions without the common law powers to keep the peace. Protection of the peace is instead the responsibility of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department under the county's Metropolitan Charter. The Metropolitan Charter did not remove the Davidson County Sheriff's status as a Law Enforcement officer however. It is simply not his or her primary function as it was prior to the consolidation of the City of Nashville and Davidson County.

The current Sheriff of Davidson County, Daron Hall, is still elected as is every other sheriff in the state, has recently added a new law enforcement division to his department. The division is called I.C.E. which deals with immigration issues.

Texas

The Texas Constitution (Article 5, Section 23) provides for the election of a Sheriff in each one of 273 counties. Currently, the term of office for Texas Sheriffs is four years. However, when vacancies arise, the commissioners court of the respective county will appoint a replacement to serve out the remaining term.

In Texas, Sheriffs and their deputies are fully empowered peace officers with county-wide jurisdiction and thus, may legally exercise their authority in unincorporated and incorporated areas of a county. However, they primarily provide law enforcement services for only the unincorporated areas of a county and do not normally patrol in incorporated cities which have their own police agency. All peace officers in Texas, whether Sheriffs, city Police, State Troopers, Constables, or Marshals, have state-wide arrest powers for any criminal offense committed within their presence or view.

The duties of a Texas Sheriff generally include providing law enforcement services to residents, managing the county jail, providing bailiffs for the county and district courts within the county, and in some cases serving process issued therefrom (the office of the constable is responsible for most civil process).

The Harris County Sheriff's Office is the largest sheriff’s office in Texas, with a sworn employee count of 2,537 in 2005. In 2000, 60% of deputies were assigned to jail operations, 26% to patrol, 12% to investigations, and 1% to process serving.

Vermont

Vermont sheriff responsibilities include furnishing security for the county Superior Court and Vermont District Court located in their county, serving civil and criminal papers, transportation of prisoners, patrolling towns, motor vehicle and snowmobile enforcement, and furnishing security for special events.

Virginia

The position of sheriff is established by the Virginia Constitution, with the sheriff and his deputies having both civil and concurrent criminal jurisdiction countywide. Sheriffs terms are for four years and are not term limited. A sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of a county or any area that does not have an established police department. In such areas, the Chief of Police is the highest ranking officer, such as in incorporated towns or cities.

Virginia is unique in that all cities are independent jurisdictions and are completely separate from any county. Thus, most cities (with few exceptions such as Poquoson and Franklin) have elected sheriffs, most of which focus on court and jail operations. By law, sheriffs can enforce all the laws of the Commonwealth in the jurisdiction they serve. Some city sheriffs (such as Portsmouth) also work alongside the city police in responding to calls and enforcing traffic violations.

In cities such as Poquoson and Franklin, these cities grew out of a county and still use that county's sheriff for civil process and court services. Those sheriff's offices still have concurrent jurisdiction in those cities but do not generally exercise them, allowing the city police to handle criminal/traffic matters.

All sheriffs are responsible for civil process, jails, serving levies and holding sheriff's sales to satisfy judgements.

Since 1983, when the General Assembly passed legislation allowing counties to establish police departments by referendum, only seven counties have done so. In most of those counties, such as Henrico and Chesterfield, the sheriffs offices exercise criminal enforcement authority sharing it with the county police, but generally let the county police investigate most crime.

The city of Williamsburg incorporated as a city from James City County in 1699. Prior to 1983, the sheriff's office handled all police functions for James City County while a sheriff performed court/jail functions for Williamsburg. When James City County established its county police department, that department operated under the county sheriff for two years before becoming a separate agency. Williamsburg's sheriff's office comprised only 8 personnel, it eventually merged with the county's sheriff's office to form the Williamsburg-James City County Sheriff's office. In the early 1990s the General Assembly mandated the uniforms for all sheriffs as being dark brown shirts with tan pants that have a brown stripe. Sheriff's office vehicles were to be dark brown with a five point star on the front doors and "sheriff's office" on the trunk. The five point star must have the jurisdiction's name in a half circle on the star and "sheriff's office" in a half circle under that.

In the early 2000s, legislation was passed to allow sheriffs to purchase white vehicles (if agreed to by the city or county), and allowing sheriffs' deputies to wear any color uniform the sheriff chose. Sheriffs' vehicles still must have the star on the front doors and markings on the trunk as before.

The Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with local police departments, assist with controlling traffic, issuing traffic summonses, and working with state and local law-enforcement agencies. Additionally, sheriff's deputies aid the county police, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a joint fugitive task force that provides apprehension and arrest of felons who face current warrants. Sheriffs are also solely responsible for executing detention orders for those who are ordered to receive mental health care.

Deputy sheriffs are the only members of law enforcement that can be dual-certified in civil process/courts and basic law enforcement. There is no distinction made by title, all those who work for a sheriff are Deputies. Police officers are prohibited from performing civil process or court duties. All deputies and police officers must meet state certification standards as set by DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services).

In Northern Virginia the sheriff's responsibilities have changed from that of being the sole law enforcement official for their counties, to performing only traditional court-related functions but with wide-ranging duties in coordination with a county police department in the suburbs of the nation's capital. When these county police departments were formed they assumed patrol, investigative, crime fighting, and transportation safety responsibilities.

By law, sheriffs are not elected at the same time. County sheriffs are sworn into office on even-numbered years; city sheriffs are sworn into office on odd-numbered years. All deputies must be re-sworn after each election. Sheriffs have complete authority to hire and fire as they see fit; deputy sheriffs serve at the sole pleasure of the sheriff. Sheriff's offices are completely funded by the state, unless a county or city wishes to supplement with funding.

Washington

In Washington State, the sheriff of thirty-eight of the thirty-nine counties is an elected official serving a four-year term - the exception is the county of Pierce, which has an appointed sheriff.

The voters of Pierce County voted to pass Charter Amendment 1 on November 7th 2006 to change the sheriff's position from appointed to elected. The first sheriff's election in 30 years will be held in 2008.

The sheriff is the chief law-enforcement officer of a county and is empowered to enforce the criminal laws of the State of Washington and the county their office represents, as well as to serve or execute civil processes (such as court orders, evictions, property foreclosures, tax warrants); to maintain county jails; to provide courthouse security; and to provide general law enforcement in unincorporated areas. In many cities, police services are contracted to the sheriff's department in lieu of a city police department.

Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, the sheriff and his deputies are responsible for patrolling towns and villages not large enough to support their own police department, and also aids local departments when required.

West Virginia

In West Virginia, the sheriff of a given county performs two distinct duties. They are the chief law-enforcement officers in the county, although much of this duty is handled by their chief deputies. They are also responsible for the collection of any taxes due to the county. While many sheriffs have a background in professional law enforcement, others are politicians or other local notables. West Virginia sheriffs are limited to two consecutive four-year terms.

Famous American sheriffs

Buford Pusser — McNairy County, Tennessee portrayed in Walking Tall, and in a suite of songs on Drive-By Truckers' 2004 album, The Dirty South.
Joe Arpaio — Maricopa County, Arizona, famous for his stance on criminal justice.
Mike Brown - Island County, Washington, reduced crime rate
Pat Garrett — Lincoln County, New Mexico, famous for killing Billy the Kid.
Bat Masterson — Ford County, Kansas
Sherman Block — Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, highest paid government administrator in the United States.
Lee Baca - Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Block's successor; notable for his alleged preferential treatment of celebrities Mel Gibson and Paris Hilton.
Dave Reichert — King County, Washington, tracked the Green River killer; elected to Congress in 2004.
John Bunnell - Former sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon; most famous for presenting/hosting World's Wildest Police Videos, appearances on COPS, and other acting roles.
Gerald Hege — Davidson County, North Carolina, famous for his "no-deals" behavior and highly unorthodox way of fighting crime.
Grover Cleveland — Erie County, New York, the only sheriff ever to be elected President of the United States.
Seth Bullock - Of Deadwood fame.
Mike Carona - Orange County, California, dubbed "America's Sheriff" by Larry King
William J. Brady - Sheriff of Lincoln County during the Lincoln County Wars in New Mexico, United States. He was killed in an ambush by Billy the Kid.

Fictional American sheriffs

Many Western movies feature sheriffs of frontier towns who are either corrupt weaklings or glorious heroes who eventually rid their towns of all their mean elements. See Destry Rides Again and Dodge City for two examples of the latter type. Fictional sheriffs include: