# This organization says that sheriffs are the final arbiters of law **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 22, 2023, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901 "2023-08-22T03:19:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/21 "2023-08-22T16:27:19Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Someone call the sheriff bot. “They said you was hung!” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/22 "2023-08-22T17:01:33Z")
[![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTrToIWDpfJxYIxQDIODXEqRTjX5oEmW-vA28FIb6QR0WcBMrMzdin2tHAvLN1mtCewU3w&usqp=CAU) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTrToIWDpfJxYIxQDIODXEqRTjX5oEmW-vA28FIb6QR0WcBMrMzdin2tHAvLN1mtCewU3w&usqp=CAU) “Bot”, not “Bart”. [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSmeTb0Oxwy8_E6IzrYr7CLwFw6vP8w6Z3N6y-HsYaaNVDKC_3JAnwB0dqrfSgm2wuwpUQ&usqp=CAU) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSmeTb0Oxwy8_E6IzrYr7CLwFw6vP8w6Z3N6y-HsYaaNVDKC_3JAnwB0dqrfSgm2wuwpUQ&usqp=CAU) ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/23 "2023-08-24T00:50:26Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > If I had my way, I’d cancel all law enforcement agencies in the United States below the state level. Let the state police handle everything. At least that way you’ll have some sort of consistency in training, doctrine and accountability I think of something like this when I’m in the Netherlands. The police there are more or less all one group working throughout the country so the training and policies are consistent. Why dont we (United Statians) have that? Well, the US is a big place with lots of people and in many ways we’re basically 50 different countries instead of one united one. Having only one federal police force to cover the FBI-type work _plus_ all the local policing wouldn’t work too well. But IMO, it _would_ work to have 50 different state police forces handling all the cop shit in that state. It would throw the cracker “constitutional sheriffs” out on their ears. Those evil fucks are always just one stale donut away from getting cranky and lynching someone. Do they have provincial police in Israel or one national force? (Or something else). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/24 "2023-08-24T15:08:11Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Do they have provincial police in Israel or one national force? (Or something else). One national force. It’s a small country ---
**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/25 "2023-08-24T23:40:58Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > 50 different state police I don’t know how it works everywhere, but in Oregon the State Police are the highway police. They don’t have jurisdiction everywhere. Sheriff stuff is county level. Police are city/town level. Sheriff’s office doesn’t have jurisdiction inside city boundary. I don’t know how you would ever work it out to have one dept over all. Oregon is a big and varied state, within a VERY large and varied country. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/26 "2023-08-25T01:01:49Z")
> [@Ranch\_Dip](#): > > I don’t know how it works everywhere, but in Oregon the State Police are the highway police. **They don’t have jurisdiction everywhere. Sheriff stuff is county level.** [Bolding mine] The point I (and @Alessan before me) was making is that maybe sate police _should_ have jurisdiction everywhere and that county sheriffs and local police should be eliminated. A lot more consistency that way and the idea that sheriffs are somehow the ruling gods of counties would be flushed. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/27 "2023-08-25T01:14:50Z")
Yes. The state police simply absorb the county sheriff’s offices and all their budget, people, and equipment as new subdivisions of the state police. And then standardize their procedures, fire the hopeless or unprofessional employees, and put new people from elsewhere in charge. Once that turmoil is over, maybe after 3 or 4 years, do the same thing to municipal police forces, other than perhaps in truly major cities. Last of all, absorb the big city PDs. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/28 "2023-08-28T23:22:43Z")
And PLEASE make sure that the division that does the absorbing has a dedicated staff of trained mental health professionals. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901/29 "2023-08-28T23:32:43Z")
At the very least, it would make it harder for fired cops to just hire on with the next town over. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-organization-says-that-sheriffs-are-the-final-arbiters-of-law/988901.md?page=1)