What are the roles and functions of municipal and county (sheriff) police departments?

Question

What are the roles and functions of municipal and county (sheriff) police departments?

Answer 1

Local police=Enforce the laws within a specific city limits

Sheriff= Enforce the laws within unincorporated county, run the county jails, provide security/bailiff services in court and serve civil papers.

Answer 2

I wrote this for school - Hope it helps -

In Missouri:

There are more law enforcement agencies in the United States today compared with those just ten years ago.  Due to terrorist threats, the federal government has created new agencies to deal with problems we did not foresee a decade ago.   Though we have new federal agencies, we still maintain our local law enforcement agencies. There are two types of local law enforcement agencies: sheriff’s departments and police departments.  Though both are similar in nature, both also have different purposes and functions.  

The person who is contemplating a career in local law enforcement is considering a noble path. One that has it’s own rewards. Someone who is thinking of joining the ranks of local law enforcement needs to understand what the primary functions of each agency are and how their jurisdictions are defined.  There are some police officers who have no desire to be sheriff’s deputies as there are sheriff’s deputies who have no desire to be municipal police officers.  An explanation of how each type of agency works may explain why and also assist someone who is the law enforcement field to choose the agency that is best suited for them.

Let’s first examine the role of the sheriff’s department.   The head of the sheriff’s department is, of course, the sheriff.  The sheriff is usually a person with some law enforcement experience who has been elected to a term of four years.  Missouri state statutes mandate that the Sheriff is the supreme law enforcement officer of the county.  This mandate, in essence, gives the sheriff ultimate law enforcement authority.  A sheriff, in theory, can give directives to the state highway patrol over operations within his county.  To provide a system of checks and balances, state law clearly spells out that the only person authorized to arrest a sheriff in the event of misconduct or an unlawful act is the elected county coroner. A sheriff’s deputy, by definition of state statute, has the exact same authority as the sheriff.  A deputy is usually appointed at the recommendation of the sheriff to the county commissioners.  One of the duties of the sheriff and his deputies is to provide security for court proceedings.  The deputy who is assigned to this detail is usually referred to as a bailiff.  His duties will not only include court room security but also the transportation of prisoners to and from the court room and sometimes to a state correctional facility.

Another duty of the sheriff’s department is to enforce state law, also known as the Revised Statutes of Missouri.  All criminal arrests and reports are run through a system that is operated by the state.  Though the Sheriff enforces state law, he and his deputies will generally not proactively enforce traffic laws.  The reason for this is generally because a sheriff maintains his position through reelection and because he has too many other duties that consume most of his time anyway.  Most sheriffs advise their deputies not to make traffic stops unless they feel it is necessary for the safety of the road, or unless they feel there is a good chance they will make a narcotics arrest from the stop.

In the event of a major crime, a sheriff will usually head the investigation.  Sometimes he may turn an investigation over to the highway patrol because their investigative resources are greater.  The sheriff has the authority to take over any municipal investigation if he sees fit to do so.  The sheriff usually tries to keep a good working relationship with municipal and state agencies.

The draw back to working with the sheriff’s department is that the pay scale is generally not only lower to state agencies but also lower then municipal agencies.  This can, however, depend upon the geographic area of the state.  The reason for this is because the sheriff’s department does not lean on traffic citations and arrests for a source of revenue.  If it did then the Sheriff would most likely not be reelected.  The sheriff answers to the general public of his county for the way that his office is ran and maintained.  He is also accountable to the Attorney General if his office does not operate within the scope of the law.  

Now let’s examine the police departments.  The head of the police department is traditionally referred to as the chief.  The chief is the administrative supervisor of the police department that is usually appointed by city council.  Some municipalities hold elections for the position of chief of police.  One of the duties of the police department is to provide courtroom security for the municipal courts.  Like the sheriff’s department the officer providing the court room security is called a “bailiff.”  Unlike the sheriff’s bailiff, the municipal bailiff does not generally transport or escort prisoners.  Like the sheriff’s deputies, police officers enforce state statutes but they also enforce municipal ordinances and codes.

The police department takes a more proactive role in traffic enforcement then the sheriff’s department does.  Municipalities rely on a portion of the revenue generated from traffic enforcement. Police departments utilize their own detectives to solve and close investigations.  Most departments are small and have limited resources so they generally only handle minor investigations.  Major investigations are usually turned over to the sheriff’s department.

Employees of the police department often paid more then the employees of the local sheriff’s department.  Many deputies apply for municipal police officer positions because they want to be on the higher end of the pay scale.  Some officers who do not care about the pay scale apply to be deputies because they like the idea of not being encouraged to enforce traffic and they like the idea of having a larger jurisdiction to patrol.

The chief of police and his officers are accountable to the elected municipal officials.  The officers of the department must act in the scope of the law and are accountable if they violate someone’s civil rights.  If a member of the department does not act within the scope of the law, the city can be held civilly liable.  Some small towns have been known to literally close down because of a law suit that was brought on by the actions of the police department.

Being a sheriff’s deputy or a municipal police officer is a great responsibility.  It is also a very rewarding and enjoyable field.  Sometimes the job can be depressing but the happiness of being able to help someone outweighs negative aspects of working in law enforcement.  The Chinese philosopher, Confucius, is recorded as saying, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” (par. 13086). This is especially true for me.  I have been involved in local law enforcement for over ten years.  There has never been a day that has passed by that I did not feel like I was on vacation.