What is a sheriff department?

A sheriff's department can have a variety of duties based on the needs of the county. Some sheriff departments only serve the courts, such as serving subpoenas, providing bailiff services, etc. Some sheriff departments also patrol unincorporated parts of the county, and cities that make contracts with the department to provide law enforcement to the city. Sheriff departments can also operate the county jail system and transport prisoners. Also, in some parts of the US, the sheriff acts as the county treasurer and must collect taxes.

In all, the tasks of a sheriff's department are numerous and vary from each department on what is needed by the county.