In Louisiana, sheriffs can have a lot of power over local jails, including making decisions about which companies provide essential jail services like food, healthcare, and security systems. In East Baton Rouge, Sheriff Sid J. Gautreaux III has faced criticism for allegedly blurring the lines between campaign fundraising and official business after a nonprofit’s investigation into sheriffs’ campaign contributions uncovered several potential conflicts of interest.

Even when running unopposed, Gautreaux has received large campaign donations, and critics argue that this raises ethical questions, especially because some donations have come from companies that do business with his office. CorrectHealth donated $2,000 in 2019, just two years after it got the contract to handle the local jail’s medical care despite opposition from the jail’s medical staff. Meanwhile, the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison has had more deaths than any jail in the state, many of them tied to medical issues.

The jail’s security contractor, Custom Security Systems LLC, is another example. Custom Security held a five-year contract with the Sheriff’s Office to provide alarms, and because the sheriff’s approval is needed for each installation (including when providing systems for private homes), the company’s business depends heavily on staying in his good graces. During a recent run for reelection, Custom Security donated at least $17,500.

When large donations come from the same companies that rely on the sheriff for contracts and approvals, critics argue there is a real risk of favoritism – which might lead the sheriff to make decisions based on what’s best for their campaign, instead of what’s best for the community and the incarcerated people they are responsible for. 

Sources: Bolts Magazine; Common Cause

Term limits: none; terms are four years

Eligibility: to run for Sheriff, you must be eligible to vote in Louisiana, and must have been a resident of Louisiana for at least 2 years and a resident of the parish you want to serve in for at least one year. Like all other law enforcement officers in Louisiana, a Sheriff must complete the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training course, and Sheriffs who complete more advanced training or education (or who have a lot of previous law enforcement experience) are eligible for higher salaries

Every parish has a Sheriff, who is elected at-large by all the voters of the parish. The Sheriff’s main powers and responsibilities are:

• Training and overseeing deputies
  Sheriffs and deputies have full law enforcement powers – they can investigate crimes, make arrests, and carry guns
• Acting as the parish’s official tax collector
  In every parish except for Orleans, the Sheriff is responsible for collecting state and local taxes
• Courthouse security
• Serving court orders, such as evictions and subpoenas
• Maintaining the parish jail
  This is one of the Sheriff’s most important duties, as it involves security and providing essential services for incarcerated people, such as meals and medical care

Sources: the Louisiana Constitution; Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:5521.1 and 13:5539; the Louisiana Secretary of State

Term limits: none; terms are four years

Eligibility: to run for any office in North Carolina, you must be at least 21 years old and eligible to vote in the state. Anyone who’s been convicted of a felony, whether in state or federal court, is also not eligible to run for Sheriff, and no one can practice law or serve in the General Assembly while serving as Sheriff

Every county has an elected Sheriff, who is elected at-large by all the county’s voters. The Sheriff runs the county Sheriff’s Office, which is the main law enforcement agency for all areas of the county that don’t have their own police departments. Mecklenburg and Gaston counties are the only exceptions, because they have county-wide police departments; in these counties, Sheriff’s offices don’t have law enforcement powers. Their most important powers and responsibilities are:

• Appointing, training, and overseeing deputies
  Sheriffs and deputies have full law enforcement powers, except in a few counties – they can go on patrol, investigate crimes, make arrests, and carry guns (firearm certification is required)
• Managing the county jail
  This is one of the Sheriff’s most important duties, as it involves security and providing essential services for incarcerated people, such as meals and medical care
• Serving court orders
  Including evictions, protection and restraining orders, summonses, and subpoenas for civil and criminal cases. Many Sheriff’s offices have a victims’ services or domestic violence unit that works with victims to process protection orders
• Processing concealed carry handgun permits
• Managing volunteer school safety resource officer (SRO) programs
  These programs are not required, but Sheriff’s offices can partner with school districts to provide SROs if needed. Volunteer SROs need to have previous law enforcement experience and receive specialized training, and have arrest powers while in schools.

Sources: the North Carolina Constitution, Article VI and Article VII; North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 162; the North Carolina Department of Justice; UNC School of Government; Wake County Sheriff’s Office

Term limits: none; terms are four years

Eligibility: to serve in local office, you must be a registered voter in Pennsylvania, and have lived in the county you want to serve for at least a year. All Sheriffs and deputies must complete Pennsylvania’s Basic Training Academy, a 760-hour law enforcement training course; be certified in first aid and CPR; and be medically cleared by a doctor 

Every county in Pennsylvania has a Sheriff, who is elected at-large by all the voters of the county. Unlike in many other states, Sheriff’s offices in Pennsylvania do not manage local jails – that responsibility belongs to county governments. The Sheriff’s main powers and responsibilities are:

• Training and managing deputies
  Deputies are armed and have limited arrest powers – they can make arrests if they witness a crime, but cannot conduct investigations or go on patrols
• Courthouse security
  Deputies keep courthouses secure, make sure judges and everyone else involved in a case are safe, and transport incarcerated people to and from court appearances
• Serving court orders, like evictions and subpoenas
• Managing the sale of foreclosed properties
  These are called “sheriff’s sales” 
• Allegheny County only: managing deputies with full police powers
  The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office is the only one in the state that has full police powers, and has a large investigative division

Sources: the Pennsylvania Constitution; the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes; the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency; Delaware County Sheriff’s Office; Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office; Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office; Bolts Magazine

Term limits: none; terms are four years

Eligibility: Virginia’s constitution and state law don’t lay out any specific requirements for Sheriffs, but there are minimum qualifications for all other law enforcement officials, and Sheriffs tend to have served as deputies or have previous law enforcement experience. Those qualifications include being a US citizen, having at least a high school education or equivalent, and having a driver’s license if the job requires it. Officials also have to pass a physical, drug test, and background check; anyone convicted of certain crimes is not eligible.

Every county and independent city in Virginia has a Sheriff, who is elected at-large by all the voters of the county. The Sheriff is the highest-ranking law enforcement officer for the county, or for any area that doesn’t have its own police department. That means their duties can vary a lot depending on the area: independent cities tend to have their own police department, so in cities Sheriff’s offices are mainly responsible for court security and managing the local jail. But in counties and smaller towns and villages, it’s common for the Sheriff’s office to be the main law enforcement agency and do all the things you’d expect a police department to do. 

Their main responsibilities and powers are:

• Training and managing deputies
  Sheriffs and deputies have full law enforcement powers, but in bigger cities they usually leave traditional police work like investigations and patrols to the city’s police department
• Managing the local jail
  This is one of the Sheriff’s most important responsibilities – state law says the Sheriff is “charged with the custody, feeding, and care” of incarcerated people 
• Courthouse security
  Keeping courtrooms safe and orderly, and transporting incarcerated people to and from court appearances
• Serving court orders, like evictions and subpoenas

Sources: the Code of Virginia; James City-County Government; Prince William Sheriff’s Office; Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office