Sheriffs’ Offices Responsibilities

The Sheriff is the only locally elected constitutional law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as provided in the Constitution of Virginia, and is elected by the citizens of his or her locality every four years. Accordingly, the duties of the sheriff are not spelled out in any one document, law or regulation.

Law Enforcement – All sheriffs are responsible for law enforcement in all counties and cities in which they serve. Title 15.2-1609 of the Code of Virginia mandates that all sheriffs are ultimately responsible for law enforcement in their respective localities.

Jail Administration – The Code of Virginia provides that sheriffs are responsible for all locally operated jails.  Sheriffs also sit on all regional jail boards, and in some cases operate regional jails in Virginia.  As such, sheriffs are responsible for transporting inmates to and from state institutions and maintaining security in local jails while transporting inmates to trials and other community services as required by local jail standards and court orders.  Today, local jails range in size in Virginia from a few dozen inmates to over a thousand inmates and the operation thereof can be, and is, a very complex system of services to the jail community.

Service to the Courts – Court services are the responsibility of all Virginia’s sheriffs.  In each locality, the sheriff is responsible for the security of the courthouse, the courtrooms and the trials while they are underway.  Sheriffs are responsible for the security and sequestering of the jurors and notification of jurors for court service.  Additionally, sheriffs’ offices are responsible for the service of hundreds of thousands of court papers per year, ranging from divorce proceedings and child custody cases to simple civil suits among citizens.

In addition to these services, sheriffs are called upon to promote DARE programs and services for victims and witnesses of crime as well as participate in civil commitments to the citizens of their locality to protect the basic health and welfare of those citizens.

X – INDICATES THAT THE SHERIFF IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SERVICE/OPERATION

Updated 1/2024

Law Enforcement Activities in Virginia’s Primary and Non-Primary Sheriff’s Office

In an effort to better understand Virginia’s sheriff’s offices as critical components of law enforcement efforts across the Commonwealth, the purpose of this Report is to highlight the day-to-day law enforcement activities of Primary and Non-Primary LEA sheriff’s offices. This report was prepared by Blythe Alison Bowman Balestrieri, PH.D., Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University.

VSA 2019 FINAL REPORT law enforcement activities in Virginia Sheriffs’ Offices