eli5 What’s the difference between a police officer and a sheriff?

Question

eli5 What’s the difference between a police officer and a sheriff?

In: 146

Answer 1

Sheriff is an elected position. Deputies work at the discretion of the Sheriff. Sheriffs Office generally runs the jail, provides court security, and serves warrants. In most counties they also provide general law enforcement service for unincorporated parts of the county.

Police work for a city and the chief is usually hired by the mayor or city council. Police provide general law enforcement service to the city only.

There are lots of overlapping jurisdictions and mutual aid agreements. It can be confusing, especially when you throw in state police or highway patrol, campus police, hospital police, specialized state criminal investigators, federal investigators, etc.