View Full Version : Question about elected Sheriffs
Eurodriver
06-06-16, 08:49
I'm speaking for the vast majority of Sheriffs, not special situations.
Does a Sheriff need prior LE experience to become one? Does a Sheriff need to pass any sort of state LEO certification? Can a felon be elected Sheriff?
I guess what I'm asking is - does the election trump certain rules to become the CLEO for a county? I am of course only speaking about the elected sheriff himself and not any deputies.
What if my mother ran for Sheriff and were elected. Could she, the day after swearing in, arrest someone in full power of the law who committed a crime in front of her?
From:
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/cms/FCJEI/Programs1/SLP/Documents/Full-Text/Hall_MH.aspx
Qualifications for Office
The Florida Constitution states, "There shall be elected by the electors of each
county, for terms of four years, a sheriff." The only other reference to specific
qualifications for the office of sheriff are in Article VI, Section 4 of the Constitution,
which states, "No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in this or other state to be
mentally incompetent, shall be qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil
rights or removal of disability."
In Florida you don't need to be a cop or former cop or have any prior law enforcement experience whatsoever. However it certainly makes your chances of getting elected to the office a lot better.
Eurodriver
06-06-16, 09:00
Understood, and absolutely. Thanks for the info.
So an elected Sheriff, if not prior LE, does not need to be a certified LEO even after election?
Varies from state to state. Here, I believe that an elected Sheriff has a certain amount of time after election to become POST-certified. Doesn't need to be certified to run or be elected. Obviously, lack of LEO experience would be a negative campaign issue in most circumstances.
Our county sheriff used to be a dump truck driver. 162,000 county population with 45 million annual budget for public safety. I don't think you have to be anything but elected.
Outlander Systems
06-06-16, 09:12
The answer to your question:
Yes dude. Run for Sheriff.
Do it!
I'm speaking for the vast majority of Sheriffs, not special situations.
Does a Sheriff need prior LE experience to become one? Not in Kentucky
Does a Sheriff need to pass any sort of state LEO certification? Not in Kentucky
Can a felon be elected Sheriff? Not sure about that part.
I guess what I'm asking is - does the election trump certain rules to become the CLEO for a county? I am of course only speaking about the elected sheriff himself and not any deputies.
What if my mother ran for Sheriff and were elected. Could she, the day after swearing in, arrest someone in full power of the law who committed a crime in front of her? In Kentucky, yes.
The female sheriff in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky has no LE experience of any kind yet has been re-elected multiple times. It's a disgrace, in my opinion.
Understood, and absolutely. Thanks for the info.
So an elected Sheriff, if not prior LE, does not need to be a certified LEO even after election?
Not in Kentucky.
Understood, and absolutely. Thanks for the info.
So an elected Sheriff, if not prior LE, does not need to be a certified LEO even after election?
According to the info I could find, no. Not in Florida anyway. Hell your experience as a CPA would make you better suited for Sheriff of a large county since managing that huge budget would be your top priority.
In many states you do NOT have to have LE training or credentials, however many have laws that state you must be peace officer / POST-certified within a year of assuming office.
Outlander Systems
06-06-16, 09:25
Euro,
Does the POTUS need to be prior-service to be eligible for the position of Commander-In-Chief?
Eurodriver
06-06-16, 09:29
Hahaha I wasn't asking to find out if I can run, but I appreciate the support.
If I did, NFA would be shall issue however ;)
In many states you do NOT have to have LE training or credentials, however many have laws that state you must be peace officer / POST-certified within a year of assuming office.
I would assume this is the case, and was surprised to find out some don't. The idea that Bob Jones elected in November can begin carrying a badge and gun in January is almost like the Wild West.
Hahaha I wasn't asking to find out if I can run, but I appreciate the support ;)
Pssshhhh, You know you want a Benz with blue lights and a siren.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Imy6hmn0BR8/maxresdefault.jpg
Eurodriver
06-06-16, 09:47
:alcoholic:
Filling out the paperwork now. (http://dos.myflorida.com/media/693631/dsde9.pdf)
People would love Sheriff Euro.
Uniforms would be khakis and polos. European sports coupe cruisers. G19s w/ IR lasers and NV for every deputy.
BoringGuy45
06-06-16, 10:59
Sheriff's Offices are a bit different here in PA. Due mostly to politics (and corruption), there are two types of people who can arrest you in this state: Law enforcement officers and police officers. Police officers are self-explanatory. Law enforcement officers have the power of arrest for pretty much all crimes, but the scope of what they enforce and their jurisdiction is much more limited than a police officer. Unlike most states, sheriffs are considered law enforcement, but not police officers. Their work is strictly limited to court functions (courthouse protection, serving papers, prisoner transport, warrant service, etc) issuing CCLs.
As result of their limited powers, sheriffs are not considered as prestigious as they are in most other states. The sheriff isn't even considered the highest law enforcement official in a county; that honor goes to the district attorney. All general police services are carried out by either municipal police or the State Police.
Does a Sheriff need prior LE experience to become one?
No. The sheriff of my county doesn't have any prior law enforcement experience. He's a former federal prosecutor. The majority of sheriffs that I know of, however, are former LEOs, usually police chiefs.
Does a Sheriff need to pass any sort of state LEO certification?
In PA, the sheriff himself does not. Sheriff's deputies, however, need to complete either Act 2 training, which is the state sheriff's academy, or Act 120 training, which is municipal police training, or the State Police academy. People with Act 120 and former troopers need to take a 2 week bridge course in order to be Act 2 (deputy) certified.
Can a felon be elected Sheriff?
No.
I guess what I'm asking is - does the election trump certain rules to become the CLEO for a county? I am of course only speaking about the elected sheriff himself and not any deputies.
What if my mother ran for Sheriff and were elected. Could she, the day after swearing in, arrest someone in full power of the law who committed a crime in front of her?
Here in PA, to my knowledge, yes she could. However, she would have to turn any further investigations over to the county detectives and/or the local or state police.
The idea that Bob Jones elected in November can begin carrying a badge and gun in January is almost like the Wild West.
Most states with centralized state academies had/have a grace period where a newly hired officer could be provisionally certified until they went to the Academy.
As an example I was hired back in 1976, broke my leg and couldn't attend the Academy until January 77, I had healed and worked by myself for a month or so before I attended the Academy. That was a rarity for my agency, but as I found out later, many smaller agencies hired folks and then worked them for almost a year before sending them to the Academy.
Today, when an officer is hired in our state they are assigned to the next Academy class as soon as the agency notifies our POST of the officer's hiring.
Kind of scary.
I'm speaking for the vast majority of Sheriffs, not special situations.
Does a Sheriff need prior LE experience to become one? Does a Sheriff need to pass any sort of state LEO certification? Can a felon be elected Sheriff?
I guess what I'm asking is - does the election trump certain rules to become the CLEO for a county? I am of course only speaking about the elected sheriff himself and not any deputies.
What if my mother ran for Sheriff and were elected. Could she, the day after swearing in, arrest someone in full power of the law who committed a crime in front of her?
Depends by state. In Pa sheriffs are not cops. The do not patrol or make arrests. They are more of court enforcement officers. They serve warrants, they deliver law suits, transport prisoners, court security. If they witness a major crime they can intervene or the can back up a cop on a traffic stop if they happen to be driving by and the situation looks bad but otherwise they do not do the typical police work
I replied before reading all the posts. Pretty much what Boring Guy said
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
In Vermont there is no requirement. The Sheriff who hired me in 1992 was part time certified. Once he was elected he sent himself to the full time police academy. That was the right thing to do. There would be certain limitations on what the Sheriff could do if he or she did no attend training.
Depends by state. In Pa sheriffs are not cops. The do not patrol or make arrests. They are more of court enforcement officers. They serve warrants, they deliver law suits, transport prisoners, court security. If they witness a major crime they can intervene or the can back up a cop on a traffic stop if they happen to be driving by and the situation looks bad but otherwise they do not do the typical police work
In Texas the county sheriff has jurisdiction over city and town chiefs of police, whereas a Texas Ranger can arrest a sheriff of any county.
Sheriffs are politicians first and foremost.
If you have enough money and enough of the proles to vote for you; POST certification is the least of your concern.
You will have to get some form of POST training as you will be responsible for housing/jailing inmates and budgets.
Your accounting experience would be a boon in this regard as most Sheriffs cannot account for their spending.
The Jail is where 90% of your grief will come from. You'll always have dirty COs.
Polos and Khakis is okay for jail and training, but look gay for the road.
They have functional but appropriate class As out there.
Sidearm is irrelevant but if you give your guys NODS, they'll get pawned or broken.
Maybe a supervisor that is decent but otherwise, no.
Also, if you run, you'll get to see just how wrong and backwards most executive police really are.
platoonDaddy
06-06-16, 17:22
Maryland - all deputy sheriffs required to be sworn law enforcement officials with full arrest authority by the state's governing agency. My friend ran for Sheriff of local county and was only a security guard at local college. For sure not a LEO.
Great reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheriffs_in_the_United_States
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