In a city the chief of police reports to and is accountable the mayor. The major essentially hires and fires the police chief. There is no single analogous county leader for the sheriff to report to.
Most counties have some kind of executive leadership, same as cities. They tend to control and disperse tax revenue at the county level. Here is one for King county, where Seattle is located.
The roles can be pretty sparse for smaller population areas, but anyplace that has a sheriff probally has someone in charge of money that pays the sheriff. They could just as easily hire/fire a sheriff, same as a mayor can hire/fire a police chief.
King county is probably a bad example because of the size of the population and existing government inside the county including overlapping law enforcement with Issaquah, Snoqualmie, Bellevue, and Seattle PD.
The roles can be pretty sparse for smaller population areas, but anyplace that has a sheriff probally has someone in charge of money that pays the sheriff. They could just as easily hire/fire a sheriff, same as a mayor can hire/fire a police chief.
With the Darke county example, you want to give the power of law enforcement to the “TREASURER” position. I would be worried a person with finance knowledge may not be skilled in selecting a skilled law enforcement officer. Another worry would be concentrating both county money and legal power in one individual.
Before you get too concerned, coroners are politicians. Medical Examiners are the ones that do autopsies on folks that die.
Who would you want appointing the county Sheriff, if not the voters?
In cities, the chief of police is just a normal hired position, right? Why is it important for counties to work differently?
In a city the chief of police reports to and is accountable the mayor. The major essentially hires and fires the police chief. There is no single analogous county leader for the sheriff to report to.
My county has an elected CEO. 🤷
Most counties have some kind of executive leadership, same as cities. They tend to control and disperse tax revenue at the county level. Here is one for King county, where Seattle is located.
The roles can be pretty sparse for smaller population areas, but anyplace that has a sheriff probally has someone in charge of money that pays the sheriff. They could just as easily hire/fire a sheriff, same as a mayor can hire/fire a police chief.
King county is probably a bad example because of the size of the population and existing government inside the county including overlapping law enforcement with Issaquah, Snoqualmie, Bellevue, and Seattle PD.
Lets take a small rural county. At random, how about Darke County Ohio (population 51,000). There are a total of 10 elected positions to county government.
With the Darke county example, you want to give the power of law enforcement to the “TREASURER” position. I would be worried a person with finance knowledge may not be skilled in selecting a skilled law enforcement officer. Another worry would be concentrating both county money and legal power in one individual.
Does Jefferson County have a medical examiner, or just a coroner?
No idea. Some places have one or the other, some have both. Rules for local government vary widely by region.