Sheriff

:From Anglo Saxon law.An officer in each county, to whom is entrusted the execution of the laws. The sheriff is elected by people of the county. The sheriff, by himself or his deputies, executes civil and criminal process throughout the county, has charge of the jail and prisoners, attends courts and keeps the peace. The chief administrative officer within a county, whose authority exceeds that of the Chief Trustee with respect to his commission by the county to protect the people, their rights, and private property; and is subservient to the Chief Trustee with respect to public property held in trust.

The Constitutional Role of the Sheriff

Book: Common Law Handbook , for Jurists, Bailiffs, Sheriffs, and Justices

It’s a good idea to be proactive, see U.S.C. 5 Sec 3331 Oath to Office on how to contract with the sheriff to protect your constitutional rights.

Per the Constitutional Sheriff’s Association: Is it true that Sheriffs are the highest law of the land, answerable only to the U.S. Constitution?

No. The idea that sheriffs have authority that supersedes all other local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities within a county has no valid basis in the text or history of the U.S. Constitution. The word “sheriff” does not appear in the U.S. Constitution. Although the office of county sheriff, in most states, is specifically created by the state constitution as an elected office, that does not mean that sheriffs are not subject to other regulation. Indeed, as noted elsewhere in the Constitutional Sheriff’s Fact Sheet (link above), many aspects of sheriffs’ roles are controlled by state constitutions and/or statutory law, including their duties, compensation, terms of elections, and procedures for removal. And, of course, sheriffs, like all other law enforcement officers, are subject to the constraints of their state constitutions and of the U.S. Constitution when it comes to the use and application of their law enforcement powers.

It’s a common misnomer to call the sheriff’s office,the sheriff’s department.However, the Officeof the Sheriff is nota department because it is an elected position just like the office of the president or office of the governor. Whoever fills this office is accountable first and foremost to the Constitution of their state, then to the Constitution of the United States and finally to the citizens of his or her county. It is an independent office, meaning that there is no government agency or position who hires or fires the sheriff, nor is there anyone who has the authority to tell the sheriff how he or she is to run their county or carry out his or her positional duties.