Sheriff Training & What The Job Involves

Sheriffs have enforced the laws since the beginning of U.S. history. Today, the job varies from place to place. There are sheriff’s departments in major cities (the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, for example, handles a variety of specialized jobs and covers areas not in the jurisdiction of the city police force). But usually, the sheriff is the top county law enforcement official in an area where there is no major police department.

A Unique Job
Because most sheriffs are elected or appointed, there’s not a specific degree program that could be called sheriff training. But to get into the kind of senior position in your police career that would make a locality want to appoint or elect you sheriff, a degree in law enforcement is a big help.

The job of sheriff is the county equivalent of a police chief, while a deputy sheriff is similar to a police officer. Sheriff’s departments generally do great deal of work with the courts. Among the tasks that sheriffs and their deputies need training for are:

• Finding criminals who have an arrest warrant out, and taking them into custody.
• Offering security services at courthouses questioning visitors who visit inmates at jails and transporting prisoners.
• Handling basic police jobs like serving summonses and controlling accident scenes.
• Seizing assets to satisfy court judgments and running auction sales on properties that have been foreclosed.
• Increasingly, many sheriffs are involved in homeland security issues.
• Patrolling county-owned roads and properties.

A Little Bit More
Sheriffs have what are sometimes described as "police careers and a little bit more." Their terms are usually for four years at time, though many are re-elected or re-appointed again and again.

In addition to sheriff or police career training (which ususally means at least an associates degree in law enforcement), you generally need to be a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, and be at least 18 years of age (though most sheriffs are, in fact, a good deal older than that when the are appointed). Sheriffs often fit the traditional image of the top cop in a rural county. But some occupy very senior positions in big jurisdictions. The Sheriff's office in Suffolk County, NY (near New York City), for instance, has over 1,200 employees and actually oversees one of the largest police forces in the nation.

California Coast University With a rock-bottom cost of $150. per credit, a 126 total credit bachelor degree can be completed for less than just about any other school we can find. This 18-year old school offers 100% online courses to about 8,000 students from its headquarters in Santa Ana, CA. A number of cost reductions can be obtained through credit transfer, discounts or fee waivers. School offers:
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Liberty University The world's largest evangelical university has programs the cost $295 per credit if you go to school "full time" by taking at least 11 credits per term. Law enforcement personnel can get credit for their time on the job, and military experience can also count toward credit.
- Associate of Arts, Criminal Justice
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Penn Foster College Penn Foster's criminal justice programs cost just $1,430.00 per semester. In addtition, textbooks and other costs are included. The school does not offer bachelors degrees in criminal justice, but it certainly provides value in its associate degrees. The school has been operating for well over 30 years and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council.
- Associate Degree in Criminal Justice
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