Deputy Sheriff: Roles and Responsibility

A deputy sheriff is a law enforcement official that works under a Sheriff. Depending on the responsibilities that are assigned to a Sheriff’s department, an individual could be faced with a number of different tasks and duties that fall under the jurisdiction of deputy sheriff. In an area where the Sheriff’s department is considered one of the primary law enforcement agencies, a deputy sheriff can have many responsibilities.

Since a deputy sheriff works under Sheriffs, the primary duty of this individual is to follow through with the orders that are handed down to them. In some cases, this means an individual can be tasked with the charge of serving up civil notices, warrants, or documents to individuals in the county. These all fall under the jurisdiction of Sheriffs, because they are primary officials regarding court and law enforcement.

A deputy sheriff can also be tasked with checking out domestic situations, accidents, complaints, or various other issues that can be called into a sheriff’s department. If the Sheriff’s department is not the only law enforcement office in the jurisdiction, the deputy sheriff has to work in compliance with the other law enforcing official.

In some cases a deputy sheriff can also be called in to serve as a bailiff for court processions; again, this is because the Sheriffs are the reigning enforcement and court officials for a particular jurisdiction. The range of tasks a deputy sheriff can be assigned is rather large; but each task requires professionalism and duty to protect and uphold the law.

NEXT: Who is a Sherrif