How high of a rank is Sheriff?

Question

Please explain Sheriff Deputy as well.

Answer 1

Sheriff is both a political and a legal office held under English common law, Scots law or U.S. common law, or the person who holds such office. The term "sheriff" originates from the older office position of "shire reeve".

In many rural areas of the United States, particularly in the Southern United States, the sheriff has traditionally been viewed as the most influential political office holder instead of those on the county's administrative board.

In the United States a sheriff is generally (but not always) the highest, usually elected, law enforcement officer of a county. The political election of a person to serve as a police leader is an almost uniquely American tradition. (The practice has been followed in the British Channel Island of Jersey since at least the 16th Century. All law enforcement officers working for the agency headed by a sheriff are called sheriff's deputies or deputy sheriffs 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 (gaol) or other local Correctional institution.

The deputy is a representative of the sheriff.

Modern day sheriff's deputies maintain the highest standards of law enforcement and are also required to be "POST Certifified" by their respective states. This is the police officer standard of training requirements.

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 northeastern U.S., 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.

Answer 2

The Sheriff is an elected official and is generally the highest ranking law enforcement official for the jurisdiction that elected him. Deputy Sheriff's are considered political appointees, not police officers, and work at the will and pleasure of the Sheriff which means he can fire them for nothing. It's an antiquated system ripe for corruption. Search Henry County VA Sheriff's Office and see how bad it can get. Luckily most Sheriff's aren't corrupt but the current system lends itself to those who are. There should be no place for politics in law enforcement. We should do away with Sheriff's Office and have County Police Departments, which some localities have chosen to do. Either that or give all Deputy Sheriff's civil service status so they won't have to worry about getting fired if they turn in a corrupt Sheriff.

Answer 3

A sheriff is an elected official of the county. He is in charge of running the sheriff's department and the county jail. He is the top cop of the sheriffs department, but there is no such thing as a top cop of a county or anything. Unless you live in Texas where constables have ultimate authority, even have authority to arrest the sheriff, then a sheriff is only a high rank in his depertment. Just as a police chief has no authority over sheriff deputies, sheriff has no authority over local cops. Deputies have similar ranks to local police departments. A deputy can be a sergeant, corporal, captain, etc. Bottom line, a sheriff is just like a police chief but for the sheriffs department. The sheriffs department is a county police department who's duties are to patrol the unincorporated areas of the county, and to run the county jail.

Answer 4

The Sheriff is the top guy. He or she is elected into the position but usually has spent some time as a deputy. The deputies that work for the Sheriff's Office have varying ranks and jobs as well. Deputies work in patrol(responding to calls and traffic enforcement, what you might think of as normal cop stuff), civil process (serving subpoenas, etc.), the courthouse, warrants, and the jail. In some areas they will also have a task force designed for drug interdiction, some departments it's just a part of patrol.

Answer 5

A sherriff's department patrols an unincorporated are of the county, but do have jurisdiction anywhere in the county (making them outrank police officers)

A Sheriff is the equivalent to the chief of police, as he heads the S.D.

A Deputy, is the lowest ranking member of the S.D. (equivalent to Police Officer)

Hope this helps

Answer 6

This question has already been answered adequately, but VAGO is simply wrong. The Sheriff is the top dog in the county he serves, and in many places is more powerful than any Chief of Police within that county. In my state, he is the top dog and can only be arrested by the coroner, and no one else.

Answer 7

Many sheriffs, as do many chiefs of police and other agency heads, adopt the collar rank of full admiral/four star general, though they may command at most a few thousand people under them and often less than a hundred. The rank displayed on a police uniform doesn't correspond exactly to any point in the military structure: most of the instructors in a police academy are senior officers or field training officers who wear corporal stripes; whereas drill instructors and equivalents in the military are at least E-6 (three up, one down).

Answer 8

The Sheriff is the "top cop" in a county. He is in charge of all of the administrative/ceremonial duties of that particular police department.

Answer 9

He is the chief zionist enforcer, the deputy keeps his satisfied in whatever way possible ;o)