Sheriff’s Office – Police Department CJ I Warm up: In your own words (30) – What Differentiates the two? (Keep in your notebook)

Duties and Functions of Virginia Sheriff’s Offices The position of Sheriff is established by the Virginia Constitution, with the Sheriff and his Deputies having both civil and concurrent criminal jurisdiction countywide. Sheriffs’ are elected and serve terms of four years and are not term limited.

Responsibilities The Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with local police departments, assist with controlling traffic, issuing traffic summonses, and working with state and local law-enforcement agencies. Additionally, sheriff's deputies aid the county police, the United States Marshals Service, and the FBI in a joint fugitive task force that provides apprehension and arrest of felons who face current warrants. Sheriffs are also solely responsible for executing detention orders for those who are ordered to receive mental health care.

Responsibilities – cont. By law, Sheriffs can enforce all the laws of the Commonwealth in the jurisdiction they serve. Thus, most cities have sheriffs, most of which focus on court and jail operations. Some city Sheriffs also work alongside the city police in responding to calls and enforcing traffic violations.

In Northern Virginia the sheriff's responsibilities have changed from that of being the sole law enforcement official for their counties, to performing only traditional court-related functions but with wide-ranging duties in coordination with a county police department in the suburbs of the nation's capital. When these county police departments were formed they assumed patrol, investigative, crime fighting, and transportation safety responsibilities.

Responsibilities – cont. Those sheriff's offices still have concurrent jurisdiction in those counties but do not generally exercise them, allowing the county/city police to handle criminal/traffic matters. All sheriffs are responsible for civil process, jails, serving levies and holding Sheriff's sales to satisfy judgments.

Deputy Sheriffs are the only members of law enforcement that can be dual-certified in civil process/courts and basic law enforcement. Police officers are prohibited from performing civil process or court order/duties. All deputies and police officers must meet state certification standards as set by DCJS. (Department of Criminal Justice Services)

Duties and Functions of the Police Responsibilities of a police officer may vary, however typical duties relate to keeping the peace, law enforcement, protection of people and property, and the investigation of crimes. Officers are expected to respond to a variety of situations that may arise while they are on duty. The major role of the police is to maintain order, keeping the peace through surveillance of the public, and the subsequent reporting and apprehension of suspected violators of the law.

They also function to discourage crimes through high-visibility policing. Police also respond to emergency calls, along with routine community policing and have the legal authority to arrest. In Virginia, Chiefs of Police are appointed by either a Mayor or Board of Supervisors.

Police are often used as an emergency service and may provide a public safety function at large gatherings, as well as in emergencies, disasters, search and rescue situations, and road traffic collisions. To provide a prompt response in emergencies, the police often coordinate their operations with fire/emergency medical services.

Police are also responsible for reprimanding minor offenders by issuing traffic citations which typically may result in the imposition of fines, particularly for violations of the traffic law. Police are also trained to assist persons in distress, such as motorists whose car has broken down and people experiencing a medical emergency. Police are typically trained in basic first aid and CPR.

Some Park Rangers are commissioned as law enforcement officers and carry out a law- enforcement role within parks and other back- country wilderness and recreational areas.

Code of Virginia: "Law-enforcement officer" means any full- time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff's office that is part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof who is responsible for the prevention or detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth…

The End! Questions?