Police Officer vs. Sheriff

[Porl]

Hi all! I have now finished my judgement exam and written for a Reserve Deputy! Yahhhooo! Now onto the Oral Board. The proctor for the written exam gave us some ideas for preparing for the oral boards as she is one of the interviewers as well. She stated there are several questions about the role of a Sheriff's Dept vs. that of a City Dept. Also, questions about the role of a Deputy vs. a police officer. Putting aside the given, the county maintains the jail system, what other differences between these two? She mentioned specifically "that a deputy is not a police officer, explain". Ouch. I would really like anyones input on this! Thanks a ton. Oral board is still 2-3 weeks away, but i need to start thinking of my answers soon.

Thanks,

Porl

[Charlie]

Porl--Generally, police officers and deputies are both law enforcement or peace officers in pretty much most any jurisdiction that I know of. They can both pretty much do whatever the other one does in most cases.

As for the differences in duties.....well typically and depending upon the agency, deputies usually patrol areas outside the city limits or rural areas of a given county. Some are engaged in prisoner transport as well. Some agencies have a fugitive unit in which the deputies are sent to other jurisdictions to return offenders to the county for court proceedings. Some may also provide court room security duties as well and may act as a Bailiff. Deputies also serve warrants and perhaps some legal documents from a judge to people within their jurisdiction.

City cops obviously take care of all law enforcement duties within the municipality they serve similar to the deputy. Usually city officers don't traditionally watch prisoners inside a jail facility. There a re a lot of similarities between the two.

Salary/benefits could differ depending upon the agencies that are compared. But, I would not necessarily say that one is better than the other. It all amounts to what you want to do and what you have in your area.

This is not one of my best answers but hope it helps.

Charlie

[Cpl Mike]

Charlie, you ARE SO WRONG!!! ;D- Your answers to many hopefuls are alway on the mark!! To add only a little to what Charlie has told you , The Sheriff is usually an elected official in the county (or parish if your in the south in some states ) and can have strong or weak authority in his/her elected area .It depends on the state you live in .In California , some county sheriffs Depts(or offices) provide the majority of the law enforcement in some counties,even contracting to local cities that can't afford their very own PD,but want that "semi-autonomous feel" (i.e. LASD,Riverside SD,San Diego .SD, San Bernardino SD) if you go full time, expect a lengthy stint as a jail deputy,unless the have the entry level correctional deputy position(the stint can be from 2-5yrs).Most reserves are sent to patrol or station details, as they are considered extra help to fill out the extra needs patrol cars.My last to you is that if you go full time or are a per diem(aka ,paid reserve) gain the experience first,whether deputy or Police officer, then go for the money....

[TEJ1956]

TO ALL

Charlie, I am a certified police officer even though I am new and in training, I agree with you analogy. You hit it pretty much on the mark. The sheriff is an elected official but all other deputies are employees. They do perform all the duties you mentioned and are true law enforcement officers. They handle the county we handle the city. We are just big team. tej

[Eh]

Cpl Mike and Charlie, You are both wrong!!!

That only applies in the United States!!!!
In Canada the Sheriff's office is only involved in the transportation of criminals or defendants undergoing trial.


You don't want to be a Sheriff in Canada instead of a cop.

[Cpl Mike]

Eh? I thought WE were talking about the U.S.!!! Also the Sheriff is responsible for prisoner incarceration and transport to jail/court facilities here in most states also.It is my wish that Porl gets into a Law Enforcement position and makes the best of that position.Not that working at Burger King is bad, but a position as a Correctional Deputy,Bailiff,per diem patrol Officer or Reserve,can be considered what most hopefuls here would prefer to launch themselves into Law Enforcement- If that is an option . then I say it is worth it...

[Porl]

Thanks for all the replys. Charlie, your information was extremely helpful as well. One more question: Does city/local police serve warrants as well as county deputies?

Now in response to Cpl Mike and Eh comments. I guess its time to introduce myself and tell you my situation. I have dreamed of a LE position for the last 10 yrs. I had a career that I was satified with. However I quit that job 3.5 yrs ago when I was expecting my second child. Luckily I was able to stay home while my hubby bought home the bacon ;D So now I am starting to pursue my dreams. I want to be a Reserve Deputy as this still keeps me with the family (that is important to me) and also has the full responibilities of a LE officer. Our county has a wonderful Reserve program. Academy is Tues/Thurs nights and some Saturdays for 6 months. And after trng, there is no difference between us and the regulars, except they get paid and we have the flexibility of being on duty when we want to. SO, I am odd and only want to be a Reserve for the next 10 yrs or so.... maybe then I will try for a regular. And who would hire a stay-at-home mom for 10yrs to become LEO? Money isn't an issue so i just might continue with the Reserves for ever. ;D

So I have been in the hunt for a Reserve for 9 months now. I have the choice between 2. One I have already passed and been accepted to the Academy. I was offered to start in Sept, however I turned them down to try for the other county which is closer. If I don't get that one this year, I will go to the first one next year. Let me tell you, that was the hardest thing I did was calling my LT and telling him thanks, but no.

So do you all think I am crazy, or what?

Porl ( the crazy one)

[Eh]

Hhehe, yes the question was referring to the US.
I just wanted to point out that it's not always the same in every country. Also the poster didn't specifically mention which country (there were enough clues to indicate that she was talking about the US ). This is the internet it's global. Just take a look at how popular the RCMP thread is.

Also in Canada getting into the Sheriff's office doesn't hurt for LE but it is by no means a sure thing. I've known a few who went that way to try and get into a police department and they were not hired.

Of course this doesn't really apply to the original questions. I just wanted to give the regulars here a hard time

[Cpl Mike]

Weeell! I'd just like to say "excuse me" as I think I went off on a side track there for a minute! as for the "burger king remark" ,well I just made the often too common mistake of thinking that most off the "2bes" here are very young ; there are quite a few who are settled in to a satifying life(like you sound,Porl), but are at an age where they are both mature enough as well as focussed enough to handle the demanding aspects of law enforcement.As for the warrant issuance,most warrants are serviceable,particularly felonies by both local police as well as the county sheriff,regardless of what agency issued them, as long as it is within the state in which the sheriff deputy/police officer works. Some states don't honor the warrant/extredition issue of another state without written agreement past(Here in California , NY won't come for their warrants,unless it is a serious offense such as Homicide, and some states specifically wil not honor warrants unlees the state issuing is along their respective border. Well unless specifically iss'd(we could go into this for hours in cases such as "Ramey"),warrants can be served day or night- a trafic stop could lead to warrant service and arrest(*Only the hot shot SWAT teams,VICAP units ,CLEAR teams -LAPD Gang Detail-LASD OSS(Co.Gang Detail) get the stereotypical door kickin' services,although once you start as a deputy,you might get the call to back a doo knock warrant....P.S. Go for it, you'll gain the personal satisfaction of doing your community a good service,you'll see the excitement(and boredom),and you'll attain your goal .ACop is A Cop, is A Constable,Is an Agent,is A Trooper, is A Patrol Man/Woman, is A Deputy, once they are sworn in (pay or no pay)....

[Charlie]

AND........if I might add to my esteemed colleague's remarks (Cpl. Mike):

He is right....pretty much it matters not your title if you are a LEO, a cop is a cop.

And Eh, if you will note in my original post, I did NOT specifically state the US nor did I intentionally neglect to mention our close Canadian LEO friends either. I certainly mean no offense to anyone especially our Canadian brothers & sisters. Hence, that is why I said at the beginning, in part:

"police officers and deputies are both law enforcement or peace officers in pretty much most any jurisdiction that I know of." ;D ;D

And Porl, like Cpl. Mike says: typically, (DEPENDING UPON ONE'S JURISDICTION, DUTY ASSIGNMENT, LAW AND COUNTRY OUTSIDE THE US), both city cops and deputies can and usually do serve all kinds of warrants. Various types of other LEO's in different jobs do as well.

Be safe and watch your back out there!

Charlie

[Porl]

Ok, Thanks for all the input.. I found a perfect answer. (not that I found all your answer wrong... ) Thought I would post it here for others that may get this question in their oral boards for other sheriff offices.

What makes the county sheriff's office distinct from other law enforcement departments?

Maintenance and operation of the county jail, serving civil processes, such as eviction notices, providing security and bailiffs for county courts and collecting some county taxes are an example of duties that only the sheriffs office provide.

Agreed?

Porl