Sheriff 101

The Office of Sheriff of Charleston County is a four year elected term. The Sheriff has jurisdiction over the entire county as a law enforcement agency -handling everything from warrant service to traffic to calls for service- and is also responsible for running the county jail (used daily by all local agencies). 

Any registered voter within the county of Charleston (to include all of our cities) will find the Sheriff on their ballot in the November 2024 election. This is, oddly, a partisan race so the Summer Primaries will allow the Democrats and Republicans to choose their candidates. 

 

The Sheriff of Charleston County plays a very different role than the police chiefs hired by the mayors and councils of our cities. Those police chiefs answer to politicians and can be fired at any time by the same politicians who hired them. The Sheriff answers to the people -and only to the people- who elected him into office. The Sheriff manages a budget of over $84 million annually to maintain, train, equip, pay, and otherwise take care of our Sheriff’s Office and the people it serves.

 

A Sheriff’s Deputy has primary jurisdiction anywhere in the county that has not been annexed by a city. Deputies have a secondary jurisdiction anywhere in the county that is annexed by a city. A deputy can enforce state and county laws anywhere in the county of Charleston and is expected to actively support all law enforcement agencies within the county.

 

It is very important to elect a good Sheriff who cares about all the people of Charleston County and their quality of life. It is important to elect someone who has law enforcement experience, upholds high standards of professional conduct, and can be trusted to take care of his deputies and detention officers. It is important to elect a leader you can trust.