What is the difference in a police man ,sheriff and a Constable?

Question

i was just wondering

Answer 1

This can get a little complex, but on the easy end it has to do with jurisdiction and legal powers.  

Typically, the Sheriff is an elected official who is responsible for carrying out court process such as serving warrants, subpoenas, summons, and civil papers.  The Sheriff may also be constitutionally responsible for running the jail.  In some areas, the Sheriff also is responsible for law enforcement patrol duties in the unincorporated areas of the county.  The Sheriff is elected and appoints deputies as authorized by law to fulfill duties.

Typically, police departments are maintained by cities for the primary purpose of law enforcement and maintaining order, with serving papers as a secondary duty.  Cities typically hire the Chief of Police and its officers under local ordinances rather than constitutional guidelines.

Constables are typically elected officials who are very similar to Sheriffs in many ways, but have varying levels of authority and varying duties according to local arrangements and needs.  In some places, the constable is the primary law enforcement official in a county and the sheriff's office handles all the court papers, while in other areas, the constable does little more than fulfill a symbolic position and assists the sheriff in fulfilling duties.

Answer 2

A Police Officer works for a Police Department... usually a City Police Department.  A Sheriff works for the County Sheriff's Department...  We don't have constable's in CA, so I have no idea what they do.

It's just a different title, and they have different jurisdictions, but they have, essentially, the same job.  A City Police Officer will patrol and respond within city limits.  An Deputy Sheriff will patrol and respond on county property not patrolled by the City Police... The Highway Patrol has jurisdiction on highways and major roadways... (not sure where their jurisdiction ends... but they're pretty limited to the roadways)...

Answer 3

In most parts of the US all are sworn officers. There jobs may or may not differ depending on local laws and customs.

The head sheriff and constable tend to be elected county officials. The officers that work for them are basically police officers and usually are called deputies.

Police Officers (men and women) usually work for a city or other government entity, like transit, school or housing authority. They are part of the administrative section of the city.

In all cases their powers come from the citizenry via elected officials.

Originally most cities police forces had a high constable who was the main, and often only, law enforcement officer as cities got bigger they formed police departments.