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Why you should know more about
your County Sheriff? |
 As a citizen you can depend on the Sheriff’s Office to help make a
community that is safe and trouble free. But to be truly effective, a Sheriff’s
Office depends on your cooperation. Crime and accidents result in the great costs of
lives, money, and pain. The Sheriff’s Office is working hard to protect you from
these dangers. Your support is vital in the Sheriff’s efforts to prevent and solve
crimes, eliminate hazards in and around the community, keep the courts and jails running
efficiently, and keep traffic moving smoothly and safely. |
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Who is your County Sheriff? |
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 Chances are you don’t give much thought to the county Sheriff. You
may see an article in the newspaper, a name on the ballot, or a patrol car along side the
road. What is it that makes our county Sheriff unique among Ohio law enforcement
professionals? The Sheriff is the only elected law enforcement official in the State. This
means that every four years he puts his record out for approval. He is accountable to the
citizen and voter. Besides the personal accountability required to maintain his post, the
Sheriff is a professional, trained in the latest law enforcement techniques and criminal
justice procedures. It’s the combination of the above factors, along with
the desire to perform public service, that makes the Sheriff a unique position among Ohio
officials. To be truly effective he must, and does, understand the integrity needed to do
the job in a legal and responsible manner and uphold the public trust placed in him. A
Sheriff is more than an individual. He has an office behind him, made up of deputies and
support personnel. It’s an organization of men and women dedicated to protecting and
serving the people of our county. The deputies are sworn law enforcement officers. They
are appointed by the Sheriff to uphold the laws and preserve the public peace. |
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Your Sheriff's Office is
working to serve and protect you. |
| A Sheriff needs the support of the community to do his job
effectively. Help your Sheriff by taking the steps to protect yourself and your family
from crime and accidents. Be an informed citizen, know the needs of yourself and the
community, and communicate with your county Sheriff so he can be aware of how best to
serve you. Your help can make a difference. Get to know your Sheriff and the men and women
of the Office. |
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Courts |
| Sheriffs help to maintain a secure court system by providing
courtroom security. Section 311.07 of the Ohio Revised Code, places the responsibility of
the court house upon the Sheriff, under the direction and control of the board of county
commissioners. |
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Jail operation |
| By law the Sheriff shall have charge of the county jail and
all persons confined therein. He must do this in a fair and impartial way. |
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Prisoner transportation |
| Sheriffs throughout Ohio transport thousands of prisoners
each year. Deliveries are made to and from state institutions, holding facilities, and
courts, and extraditions are made from other states. |
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Police services |
| Due to Ohio’s rural nature, many communities cannot
afford their own police forces. Many of Ohio’s communities have law enforcement
contracts with the county Sheriff. The Sheriff’s Office also provides law enforcement
services, security, and crowd control for special events such as county fairs, concerts
and sporting events. |
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Traffic control |
 Sheriffs’ personnel are professionally trained in
traffic control and vehicle crash investigation. Much of the traffic control
and enforcement in our state is done by the Sheriff. Traffic
control covers anything from enforcement of traffic laws to directing traffic around
special events and construction projects. |
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Civil process service |
| Sheriffs are the agency primarily responsible for the service
or "delivery" of legal documents in the State. This includes summonses,
subpoenas, and law suits. Sheriffs also do evictions, repossessions, attach, and seize and
sell property as ordered by the court. |
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Communications |
| For many counties in the state the Sheriff operates and
maintains a 24 hour-a-day dispatch center that also provides dispatch services for other
agencies such as police, fire departments and volunteer ambulance associations. |
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Specialized programs |
| Sheriffs help to control crime and traffic with specialized
DUI enforcement programs, and drug and alcohol awareness programs. In some counties
boating patrol on waterways and lakes is also provided. Many of these programs use federal
funds or are joint ventures with other agencies. |
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Community involvement |
| Sheriffs are part of our communities, interacting with adults
and students alike. Programs include: D.A.R.E., Neighborhood Watch, Explorers, McGruff,
Speakers Bureau. |
