County Sheriff's Office

Lore & Background

The law enforcement agency headed by a sheriff is most commonly referred to as the 'Sheriff's Office', while some are instead called the 'Sheriff's Department.' According to the National Sheriffs' Association, an American sheriff's advocacy group, there were 3,081 sheriff's offices as of 2015. These range in size from very small (one- or two-person) forces in sparsely populated rural areas to large, full-service law enforcement agencies, such as the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is the largest sheriff's office in the United States, with 16,400 members and 400 reserve deputies. A regular officer of a sheriff's office is typically known as a deputy sheriff, sheriff's deputy or informally as a deputy. In a small sheriff's office, the deputies are supervised directly by the sheriff. Large sheriff's offices have several ranks in a similar manner to a police department. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has thousands of regular deputies, who are eight ranks below the sheriff. The actual second-in-command of the sheriff typically holds the title of chief deputy or undersheriff. In some counties, the undersheriff is the warden of the county jail.

In Their Own Story

Of the 50 U.S. states, 48 have sheriffs. The two exceptions are Alaska, which does not have counties, and Connecticut, which replaced its county sheriff system with the state and judicial marshals in 2000. Washington, D.C., and the five territories also do not have county governments. Sheriffs are elected to four-year terms in 43 states, two-year terms in New Hampshire, three-year terms in New Jersey, and six-year terms in Massachusetts. Sheriffs are appointed instead of elected in Hawaii, Rhode Island and a small number of counties elsewhere. In many rural areas of the United States, particularly in the South and West, the sheriff has traditionally been viewed as one of a given county's most influential political office-holders. Research shows that sheriffs have a substantial incumbency advantage in elections. An incumbent sheriff has a '45 percentage point boost in the probability of winning the next election – far exceeding the advantages of other local offices.' Relative to appointed police chiefs, sheriffs hold office for twice as long.

Reader's Guide

The role of a sheriff's office varies considerably from state to state and even from county to county. Sheriffs and their deputies are sworn peace officers with the power to make arrests and serve before a magistrate or judge, serve warrants for arrest or order for arrest, and give a ticket/citation in order to keep the peace. Some states extend this authority to adjacent counties or to the entire state. In a small sheriff's office, the sheriff is likely to carry out law enforcement duties just like a regular deputy or police officer. In a medium-sized or large sheriff's office, this is rare and the sheriff will primarily perform leadership and management. Many sheriff's offices also perform other functions such as traffic control, animal enforcement, accident investigations, homicide investigation, narcotics investigation, transportation of prisoners, school resource officers, search and rescue, and courthouse security. Larger departments may perform other criminal investigations or engage in other specialized law enforcement activities. Some larger sheriff's departments may have aviation (including fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters), motorcycle units, K9 units, tactical units, mounted details, or water patrols at their disposal. In some areas of the country, such as in California's San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Sierra, Tulare, Ventura, and other counties, the sheriff's office also has the responsibility of a coroner's office, and is charged with recovering deceased persons within their county and conducting autopsies. The official in charge of such sheriff's departments is typically titled sheriff-coroner or sheriff/coroner, and officers who perform this function for such departments are typically titled deputy sheriff-coroner or deputy coroner. Many sheriff's departments enlist the aid of local neighborhoods, using a community policing strategy, in working to prevent crime. The National Neighborhood Watch Program, sponsored by the National Sheriffs' Association, allows civilians and law enforcement officers to cooperate in keeping communities safe. Sheriff's offices may coexist with other county level law enforcement agencies such as county police or county park police.

Did You Know?

• The method of selecting a sheriff varies by state; in some states like Rhode Island and Hawaii, sheriffs are appointed rather than elected.
• The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is the largest sheriff's office in the United States, with 16,400 members and 400 reserve deputies.
• Incumbent sheriffs often enjoy a significant electoral advantage, though the exact percentage varies and should be verified with current sources.
• Sheriffs are elected to four-year terms in 43 states, two-year terms in New Hampshire, three-year terms in New Jersey, and six-year terms in Massachusetts.
• Alaska does not have sheriffs because it does not have counties; Connecticut replaced its county sheriff system with state and judicial marshals in 2000.