You are here:
Careers: Police/POLICE DEPT
Advertisement
Question
HI
I AM A UK CITIZAN AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR POLICE STRUCTURE IE WHAT IS THE DIFFERANCE BETWEEN A POLICE DEPT AND A SHERRIFS DEPT,WHAT AREAS DO THEY COVER ALSO WHAT IS A STATE POLICE
AREA COMPARED TO A TOWN DEPT.HOPE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MY QUESTION MANY THANK.
BARRY
Barry,
Unlike the UK the United States has many different structures for their police departments. Two towns, a mile apart, might have completely different structures for their police which makes for a lot of confusion.
Let me address your questions.
In some states a sheriffs department is the only law enforcement agency in the county. In other states the sheriffs department only handles court security, serving of civil papers, and serving warrants. In some states there are both sheriffs departments and police departments with the police department handling all of the law enforcement duties in that county. I know that is very confusing.
The state police have juristiction in every section of the state however in some states the state police only handle traffic enforcement such as on interstate highways so the county police can handle the criminal matters in the particular counties. However there are some states where the state police do handle criminal matters.
So to sum up there are no two states that operate the same. The sheriffs departments have different responsibilities from state to state, and even from county to county. The county police departments (and some states do not even have county police) handle mostly calls for service and criminal matters. The state police in most states handle traffic enforcement but in a few states and counties they do handle criminal matters because there are no county police or sheriffs departments.
Isn't that confusing? Try working here!
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Jack Toomey
Expertise
U.S.: I am an expert in this category for the purpose of giving young people an idea what the hiring process involves for the position of police officer. I am getting a flood of questions from young people who are being influenced by unrealistic television shows. I'd ask you to consider that when you watch police shows on television that they are NOT realistic and most of what you see does not happen in real life. Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer so I cannot answer questions about probation and parole matters. I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience.I worked in a variety of assignments including investigations, homicide, sex crimes, runaway investigations, missing persons, and fraud.I also dealt with the general public during that time giving a wide range of advice on matters such as domestic disputes, problem solving, teenage problems, civil/criminal matters, and dealing with the mentally ill. I am available to give sound and reasonable advice which can solve most problems. Please do not ask me to do homework questions or online interviews. Young people should not rely on the Internet for interviews. Local police officers are normally very agreeable to assist students with interviews and surveys.
Experience
Worked as a police officer/detective for 26 years.
Graduate of the University of Maryland.B.S. in Law Enforcement.Attended numerous schools and training courses involving investigations, interviewing, interrogations, crime detection, domestic violence, and others. Recognized in court as an expert witness.
Received numerous awards during my police career for expert investigations. Handled the most sensitive and confidential investigations. In 1999 I won an award for my work with high school students while working in my new career in a large suburban high school.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.