Hello Dreamers. I'm bringing you a midweek mini episode that's kind of a little

backstory about the sheriff that was at the center of the Samantha Runyon case that we discussed in

episode 5 of California Dreaming. I needed a little extra time this week to

catch up on a project I'm working on, but the next full episode will definitely be ready for you, August 6th.

So for right now, please enjoy this bonus episode, America's Sheriff.

Historically, a sheriff was a legal official that was responsible for a shire or a county. The sheriff is a government official with a variety of duties

that exist in several countries with ties to England where the office of sheriff

originated.

In modern times, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff

varies greatly from country to country.

Today in the United States, a sheriff is an official in a county

who is responsible for keeping the peace and enforcing the law.

Unlike most officials in law enforcement, the United States sheriffs are usually elected,

although many states including California have state laws that require a person to possess certain law enforcement

qualifications before being able to run for the office.

Elective sheriffs are accountable directly to the Constitution of their state, the Constitution of the United States, statutes, and the citizens of their county.

The agency headed by a sheriff is commonly referred to as the sheriff's office, not the sheriff's department, which is a common mistake.

According to the National Sheriff's Association, a Sheriff's Advocacy Group,

there are approximately 3,081 Sheriff's Office in the United States.

They range in size from very small with one or two member forces in sparsely populated rural areas to large full service law enforcement agencies such as the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is the largest

Sheriff's Office and the seventh largest law enforcement agency in the United States, consisting

of 16,400 members and 400 reserve deputies.

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