# Ask the Sheriff's deputy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 27, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902 "2003-10-27T20:02:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Twinnytwintwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@Twinnytwintwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twinnytwintwin)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/1 "2003-10-27T20:02:48Z")
I thought some of yall might be interested in asking me some questions. I am a deputy sheriff for a small county in Mississippi. I will try to answer all of your questions in a timely manner. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/2 "2003-10-27T21:05:25Z")
I have an idiot for a neighbor. The fence between our houses belongs to me. His mutt dog keeps digging under the fence and gets in my yard. I tell the neighbor about it and he says he will do something, but doesn’t. He often laughs and says “my dogs and engineer” My large dogs are going to kill this mutt. If his dog ends up dead in my yard am I responsible? ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/3 "2003-10-27T21:11:04Z")
I have an idiot for a neighbor. The fence between our houses belongs to me. His mutt dog keeps digging under the fence and gets in my yard. I tell the neighbor about it and he says he will do something, but doesn’t. He often laughs and says “my dogs and engineer” My large dogs are going to kill this mutt. If his dog ends up dead in my yard am I responsible? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/4 "2003-10-27T21:59:51Z")
What do you do all day? What kind of calls make up your day are they drug related, domestic disturbances, or what. How common are child molestation/abuse or domestic disturbances? Are these common calls or rare ones. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/5 "2003-10-27T22:27:48Z")
Are you a twin? What’s your twin do? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/6 "2003-10-28T01:18:27Z")
Do you have a horse? Have you ever shot someone? ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/7 "2003-10-28T02:55:16Z")
What’s the difference between a police officer and a sheriff’s deputy? ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/8 "2003-10-28T10:31:44Z")
On TV you always see some guy running away from the cop and as soon as they pass the county/state line, the cop has to stop. Is this true? Can you chase someone across the line and still legally arrest them or give them a ticket? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/9 "2003-10-28T11:48:37Z")
The land I live on is owned by my town. Said town has not annexed the same chunk of land, and thus the city cops will not respond to calls from my neighborhood. Do you get grumpy when you are called in because nobody else can be bothered? ---
**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/10 "2003-10-28T12:43:13Z")
So… Are you the one that was there when the guy claimed, “I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy…”? …what?? You KNOW some of you were thinking it!! ---
**Author:** ![Twinnytwintwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@Twinnytwintwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twinnytwintwin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/11 "2003-10-28T16:41:00Z")
Isabelle I don’t really think you could be charged. Since both dogs were fenced up and if it happened on your property. He may try to sue you, but if I were called to the scene I would take your side. In Mississippi we often shoot stray dogs that come on to our property without identification. I do a lot of stuff. I am out on patrol a lot. We get a good many drug related calls. The most bizarre call I got was from a manager at the local Mcdonald’s. He found out one of his employee’s was selling crack out the drive-thru. He wanted me to bust him in the act. Well I came up in my old beat up pick-up looking like a crackhead. I went to the window and ordered a hamburger. The manager told me early he heard the code word the guy was using for crack was can I get extra special sauce on that. Well I asked the guy for extra special sauce and I drove up to the window. He told me that would be $21.07. I gave him the money and drove off. I looked in my bag and found a nice $20.00 rock. I called for back-up and we busted him. He was shocked. He is currently in jail. Yes, I did have a twin brother. I don’t consider him my brother anymore because I busted him making meth. He is in jail for 7 years. He doesn’t talk to me no more. I do not have a horse. I have shot about 5 people so far. None of them died. Well, a police officer works for the city and a deputy works for the county. I’ve followed people past state lines and arrested them. I’ve never got in to any trouble for it. It only works if the arrestable offense happened in your county. I will respond to the rest of your questions later. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/12 "2003-10-28T17:09:14Z")
Usually a deputy is an appointed official (appointed by the sheriff) and a police officer is hired. So police officers generally have more job security, unions, and overall better protection against termination. Some sheriffs in FL have given up that power of appointment and made all their deputies civil service employees hired by the county. So… are you appointed, or hired? Also, how many sworn deputies in your department? How long was your academy? How long did the hiring process take? ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/13 "2003-10-28T18:13:24Z")
Do you get a lot of Barney Fife jokes, like “do you have only one bullet and you are only allowed to put it in your pocket”? If not, do you have only one bullet and do you have to carry it in your pocket? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/14 "2003-10-28T20:11:55Z")
Chocolate topped or glazed? ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/15 "2003-10-28T21:15:32Z")
> [@](#): > > In Mississippi we often shoot stray dogs that come on to our property without identification. For no reason? Just because they are stray? You check their collars, no id, so you take a step back and bam? Or am I reading that totally wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/16 "2003-10-29T00:12:10Z")
**Twinny** , another poster, **Badge** started a long thread called [Ask the cop](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=147494) based on his experience as a veteran police officer in Washington State. I would be interested to see how your views and experiences vary from those discussed by them in that thread. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-sheriffs-deputy/209902/17 "2003-10-30T02:55:33Z")
So, who was it that got ya? I’m sorry. You must never get this… ever.