Okay, that role being the following:
In pretty much every film out there, they protray the role of the Sheriff and his deputies as the only law in town. A lot of movies are made and take place out west, so that pretty much fits into the old west attitude.
Problem is, is this realistic in today's world? I don't know how it works in other states, but here in Ohio, it breaks down like this:
01) You have the Ohio State Highway Patrol in which State Troopers patrol the freeways and other roads, usually regarding traffic concerns as well as State House security and investigating State Prison criminal problems. They have outposts in all counties, usually more than one.
02) Then it comes down to the Sheriff in which he is the second top law enforcement officer in a county. (The first who can actually arrest the Sheriff if need be, is the Coroner... weird huh?) He oversees everything in the county, and can do his duties in villages and cities within his county. He also oversees the county jail and Courthouse Security. He has deputies who patrol and in some counties, work the county jail and supervises the inmates. They also have Sheriff sales, issue summons and escorts prisoners between jail and court. In some counties, they have correction officers who work the jail while the deputies all patrol on the roadways.
03) Next is the township, village, or city police. They patrol the jurisdiction of their city, issuing tickets for traffic infractions, investigate criminal matters and take those arrested to the county jail. Sometimes they have city jails which are usually just holding cells until they are taken to the county jail.
04) Then you may have hospital security, at times hospital police; and college security or police and private security firms.
My question is this in regards to how the role of Sheriff is protrayed in films: In the show Jericho, the Sheriff was killed along with some of his deputies in the first episode. There are a couple of other deputies left that these prisoners had knocked out and placed in the trunk of their police car. They get out and are doing what they do, being cops.
How big is the town of Jericho? It is near Denver, about 40 miles. In Ohio, the Sheriff has the whole county and several villages and cities to handle in any particular county. In each village and city, there are police. (Some villages are too small to afford their own police force and rely on the Sheriff to handle calls.)
Is this suppose to the same in Jericho? Is the town too small to afford their own police and rely on the Sheriff? Even so, shouldn't the Sheriff have other towns to assist within his county? I guess determining where Jericho is really suppose to be, they may very well be about the only town around, but I doubt it. It isn't like they are the only town in the whole county in the state!
Anyway, they show this a lot in movies and tv shows. It is always a Sheriff and his deputies, but no city police. Why?
 Dawg
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Originally Posted by Wooley
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