Many people aren’t aware that Sheriffs still work in counties all over the country, doing a job that’s sometimes a bit different from that of a typical police officer.

For starters, many sheriffs have to be elected rather than simply hired. As executive leaders, they may find themselves handling top-line issues of homeland security, at the same time they manage basic jobs like patrolling county-owned roads. It can be a big job — the Sheriff of Suffolk County, NY, has over 1,200 employees.

An interesting interview was published with a sheriff Ada County, Idaho this week here. According to Sheriff Gary Raney, the keys to succeeding at the sheriff’s job are being a good communicator, being proactive and, to a degree, thinking creatively. According to Sheriff Raney, the best cops are the ones that keep well within the boundaries of the law, but can still come up with more than one potential solution to a problem.

Sheriff Raney is a big cheerleader for getting a quality education to support a criminal justice career. More here on sheriff training.