Do you address your sheriff as "sheriff"?

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Gatodeluna@reddit

In 1880, yes. In 2024, not really unless you live in a small town where everyone knows everyone.

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WingedSeven@reddit

If I respect them, sure. I'm in the cop-hating moonshiners area of KY so police get ignored and disrespected plenty.

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Streamjumper@reddit

In many New England states, most people have probably never addressed, or knowingly been in the presence of, their sheriff.

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LilRick_125@reddit

There is one Sheriff per county, all other uniformed personel in the Sheriff's department are referred to as "Deputy"

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ElboDelbo@reddit

I address him by name. He isn't any better than me.

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I have a cousin that's a sheriff and I have called him sheriff as long as he's been sheriff. I have a brother that's chief of police, I tend to call him other things at times. Lots of LE in my family.

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carp_boy@reddit

Be aware that there is only 1 sheriff in each county. It isn't like the their police force in an area are sheriff's.

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MagosBattlebear@reddit

It is the proper address for a sheriff.

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yellowdaisycoffee@reddit

I have no idea who the sheriff is.

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DrShadyTree@reddit

I personally know the Sheriff where I am. I call him by his first name to his face. Sheriff [last name] in mixed company and "the sheriff" when talking about him.

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PeaAdministrative874@reddit

Regional thing, but in some places yeah, but even then I’m pretty sure a sir/ma’am will do.

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PlusAd423@reddit

It seems like it would be the same for anyone. Sometimes you address them specifically as Sheriff Johnson, Colonel Johnson, Senator Johnson, Professor Johnson or Dr. Johnson. Sometimes just using their specific title. Sometimes just as ma'am or sir.

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PeaAdministrative874@reddit

Yeah. I don’t think people give it much thought, beyond “please do not try to find a reason to shoot or arrest me, I’m being polite and respectful see?”

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PlusAd423@reddit

Depends on who one interacts with on a regular basis. Maybe one of the purposes of official titles and the use of honorifics is to avoid angering those with more power than you.

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PeaAdministrative874@reddit

Agreed. Definitely varies

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PlusAd423@reddit

I still vaguely remember Senator Boxer's interaction with Brigadier General Walsh, where she demanded that he call her senator instead of ma'am.

I think that if you are being respectful then there's no set way to use titles. But maybe Senator Boxer would disagree with me.

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ColossusOfChoads@reddit

Wait, so what is the official protocol for that? Would it have been different at the time?

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PlusAd423@reddit

General Walsh was following military protocol, which advises officers to use "sir" or "ma'am" when addressing anyone higher than them on the chain of command.

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ColossusOfChoads@reddit

Ah, okay. I didn't know that a Senator would be considered higher than any officer on the CoC. I'd assumed it would be limited to the SecDef and then POTUS, if we're talking civilians.

So then Boxer probably assumed that he was addressing her as if she was just some random lady, rather than his superior (or, for that matter, a US Senator).

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PlusAd423@reddit

If he understood protocol, why didn't she? Also, if he is calling her Ma'am, what's wrong with that?

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PeaAdministrative874@reddit

I agree (with you)

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shelwood46@reddit

I watch a lot of UK cop/mystery shows, and it fascinates me that there, you can call the DCI "Mr. Barnaby" and it's respectful, but in the US if you called a police detective "Mister" that would be enormously insulting (unless it's Sidney Poitier).

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rawbface@reddit

It's not, unless you are an active duty police officer yourself. Rank means nothing to civilians.

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DilbertHigh@reddit

I only say sir or ma'am as signs of respect. I don't respect some common cop.

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thatHecklerOverThere@reddit

"White Privileges are the inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice."

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PeaAdministrative874@reddit

You don’t have to, you just pretend so you decrease your chances of getting shot or arrested for no good reason.

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ushouldbe_working@reddit

If I know who they are, then yes, I call them Sheriff. Otherwise I use the generic Officer.

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ThatMuslimCowBoy@reddit

If I ever ran into them probably I’ve never met one my grandfather used to be heavy in local politics though so he’s met a few.

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marklikeadawg@reddit

Yes.

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zugabdu@reddit

I think if you know the county sheriff on a personal level, you'd address them by their first name. Professionally, you'd address them as "Sheriff [insert last name here]"

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

You don’t just say “Pig [insert last name here] ACAB” and then shove something breakable of his desk or just sweep the entire contents of the desks surface off and raise a fist of power as you storm out?

That’s the American Way^tm

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zugabdu@reddit

The sheriff where I grew up was Grady Judd. I didn't need more lead in my diet.

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FuckIPLaw@reddit

Goddamnit, of course his name would come up this early in the thread.

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ColossusOfChoads@reddit

Story time?

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FuckIPLaw@reddit

There's a joke that the most dangerous place in the country is between Sheriff Judd and a camera. He's nationally famous because he just never misses an opportunity to be on the news.

He's also an asshole small town tough on crime politician. Like a slightly less awful Joe Arpaio.

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GiantAquaticAm0eba@reddit

I address them as "AM I BEING DETAINEDDDD??????"

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BitterSmile2@reddit

Also, depending on where you live, you never even SEE The Sheriff, just his deputies.

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pook_a_dook@reddit

This. I live in a big county and my town is not the county seat. I see sheriff vehicles all the time but it’s not the actual sheriff. Besides, in big counties the sheriff is probably pretty busy with administrative functions, county processes, press conferences, meetings, etc. not sure how much actual policing they do…

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LucidLeviathan@reddit

A likely alibi. We know which one you shot.

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BitterSmile2@reddit

Lol. Great reference!!! Take my upvote.

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GArockcrawler@reddit

Yep. The sheriff is our neighbor and so i call him by his first name.

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ExistentialWonder@reddit

That's exactly how we do it where I live. First name basis unless it's a professional instance.

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Morning-Chub@reddit

This is accurate. I work in local government and refer to the local sheriff this way. Similar with police chief, mayor, deputy mayor, etc. But depending on my personal relationship with each of these people, I might just revert to their first name when speaking casually outside of a meeting where respect should be given.

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revengeappendage@reddit

This is how everyone does it when it comes to situations like these.

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Wadsworth_McStumpy@reddit

I've never met the sheriff. My dad knew one when I was young, and he just called him Larry. He and another deputy named Ron would run against each other, and sometimes they'd switch jobs. I knew Ron's son from school, but I never met him. I'd have probably called him "Mr. Lastname."

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BookLuvr7@reddit

If I knew for sure he was the sheriff and they wanted to be addressed that way, maybe.

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BeerJunky@reddit

We don’t have sheriffs in my state.

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10leej@reddit

I call my Sheriff by his first name just to piss him off. Mostly because he quite literally let's conservatives get away with vandalizing and trespassing on my property.

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10leej@reddit

I call my Sheriff by his first name just to piss him off. Mostly because he quite literally let's conservatives get away with vandalizing and trespassing on my property.

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OhThrowed@reddit

I don't know. I don't know anyone who knows our sheriff personally. In all honesty, I don't even know who it is.

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Recent-Irish@reddit

I have a hunch that the car labeled “sheriff” with sirens and lights is my local sheriff, but I can’t be sure.

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OhThrowed@reddit

Sure, but what's their name?

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Recent-Irish@reddit

Oh I have zero clue, I was just pulling your leg

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ks2497@reddit

There’s only one Sheriff per county, they are an elected official that is the law enforcer of the county, and he has Sheriff’s deputies that are part of the county sheriff’s office that work for him. So 99% of the time you see a car that says “Sheriff” it’s a deputy of the sheriff department.

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KingDarius89@reddit

Barney fife.

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Thunderclapsasquatch@reddit

"Yessir"

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Kielbasa_Nunchucka@reddit

Sir... possibly Ma'am

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

Heh, 9/10 times the sheriff labeled cars are a deputy

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The_Real_Scrotus@reddit

Depends on how small the county population is.

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

Well yes I should have put the caveat on there “at least in places I have lived.” Small counties that have only a sheriff or a sheriff and a deputy or two may just be different.

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Wood_floors_are_wood@reddit

It’s probably the sheriffs deputies though honestly

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PeaAdministrative874@reddit

In my experience, they’re labeled.

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Gilthwixt@reddit

There seems to be a weird regional disconnect going on here, or people are just confused. The only "Sheriff" is the one who runs the sheriff's department - everyone else is a deputy. And as far as I know, The Sheriff's personal squad car isn't labeled differently from the deputies, if he even drives on around to begin with.

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ColossusOfChoads@reddit

I imagine that the L.A. County Sheriff gets driven around in an unmarked car by a Deputy, if he has to be somewhere while on duty.

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VoluptuousValeera@reddit

Sheriffs skin is their uniforms and teachers live at the school. Oh no wait there's such a thing as being off duty. 🤣

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Mr_Noms@reddit

If they're off duty, I'm not calling them sheriff, so...

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PeaAdministrative874@reddit

? Where I lived they had the cowboy hat, the badge, the whole works. Though that’s more a regional thing. Plus sometimes their own dedicated labeled vehicle.

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UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit

Our former sheriff made a point to know everyone in the county so I did know him personally, but being in the south I just called him “sir”

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ColossusOfChoads@reddit

I'd probably go with "sir" because if I'm coming into contact with a County Sheriff, chances are it's because I've been pulled over while passing through a small town or rural road. Like, if it's such a small county it's him together with one or two Deupty Dawgs doing all the patrolling.

I can't imagine ever meeting the L.A. County Sheriff. That's about like meeting the Chief of the LAPD, which is like a step down from meeting the Mayor.

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rawbface@reddit

I have never met a sheriff, or even knew the name of one. Places with networks of municipal police coverage generally don't use sheriffs, at least not in the public eye.

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youngpurke@reddit (OP)

Thanks for 60+ comments! In my country we don’t use titles for anyone anymore, some older people might but everyone else is just their first name, no matter if it’s the prime minister, your boss or your neighbour. The only ones you’d use titles for are the royals. :)

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natertottt@reddit

I’ve never met a sheriff. If I did I probably would if I didn’t know.

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IrianJaya@reddit

No. If I encountered a sheriff and had to speak with him, I probably wouldn't recognize that he was the "actual" sheriff and not one of the deputies, and I'd simply address him as "officer".

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potentalstupidanswer@reddit

There are 2.3 million people in my county. I never expect to address the sheriff ever.

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odsquad64@reddit

There are 209,581 people in my county. I never expect to address the sheriff ever.
Honestly, I wasn't even sure what my sheriff's name was, but I googled it and I had it right, so that's at least something. The only time it really comes up is every four years when I vote against him.

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AncientGuy1950@reddit

I can honestly say I have never met a sheriff, so I've never called him/her anything.

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Charliegirl121@reddit

No

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Ralfsalzano@reddit

You would usually always say officer, the sheriff is the only local law enforcement official elected by the people if that’s any help

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Comfortable-Owl-5929@reddit

Am I wrong? Don’t you say deputy, or deputy insert their name? It seems wrong to refer to them as sheriff. I’ve never been in the situation, so I’m not sure.

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Dependent-Analyst907@reddit

I don't talk to anyone in law enforcement, except to inform them that I don't talk to law enforcement.

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machagogo@reddit

The sheriff's department in my county (all of New Jersey?) Is court security and civil law, I've never met an actual sheriff. If I did i would not address them as such unless speaking with them in an official manner.

No one calls the principle of the local school "Principle Skinner" either, just the Simpsons started as a show told from the view of a child.

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Mr_Kittlesworth@reddit

In places with police depts, generally there’s still a sheriff, and they handle court, jail, and sometimes govt building security.

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thunderclone1@reddit

And police matters in the area outside of the city, but within the county

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shelwood46@reddit

Not in the Northeast, as a rule. In fact the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that our Sheriffs are *not* law enforcement. We use state police for things that are handed by sheriffs in other states.

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BitterSmile2@reddit

So does this mean your court bailiffs are unarmed?

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thunderclone1@reddit

From the midwest perspective, that just seems super weird. If your sheriffs departments aren't law enforcement at all, then what do they actually do over there?

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shelwood46@reddit

Bailiffs of the courts, evictions, process servers, jails. They are really very powerless by design. On the flip side, our state police departments fill the gaps that county sheriffs do elsewhere, like responding to areas with no local police departments, they are the ones with wide ranging power.

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thunderclone1@reddit

Ah I see my confusion. I assumed that bailiffs, jail guards, and such were considered law enforcement

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BitterSmile2@reddit

Varies by state.

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machagogo@reddit

Yah. That's what I said our sheriffs do, mostly courts and civil enforcement.

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RodeoBoss66@reddit

If I were to ever speak to an actual sheriff, in any circumstance, whether he was the sheriff of my local county or not, I should damn well better address him by his title, because that’s what it is. You address a judge as “Judge” (or “Your Honor,” depending on the context), you address a police officer as “Officer,” a detective as “Detective” and a police captain as “Captain.” Same with other police, fire, and military ranks. You address people by title, whether you know their personal names or not. So if I speak to a deputy sheriff, I say “Deputy,” but if I speak to the sheriff himself I say “Sheriff.” Now, if I’m a personal friend of the sheriff, and I’m speaking to him in private (in his office or somewhere), and I’m being casual, it’s okay to address him by just his name. But that’s not the case for most people. Most people aren’t personal friends with a sheriff.

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MortimerDongle@reddit

I assume people would, though I've never met a sheriff and don't expect to ever meet one.

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throwawayshirt@reddit

Most Americans don't know the difference between officer, deputy, and trooper.

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the_vole@reddit

If you’re interacting with a sheriff, you’re either friends with them or being arrested by them. In all honesty, I don’t even know what they do as opposed to the regular-ass police department.

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im_on_the_case@reddit

I was visiting a Pueblo in New Mexico once and a dude cruised by in his official SUV with WAR CHIEF printed on the side. Forget the lowly sheriff. It's a job for babies in a world where there's fucking WAR CHIEFS rolling around.

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lovejac93@reddit

I usually say “hey fuckface”

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Spasiboi@reddit

It depends heavily on the size and makeup of the jurisdiction. Rural areas and direct election ballot sheriffs, much more likely.

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grammarkink@reddit

If I knew my sheriff, absolutely. Same goes for Judges.

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Torchic336@reddit

I’ve only ever been in the same room with a “sheriff” when I was in middle school because he was our DARE teacher. We did refer to him as Sheriff “last name” I don’t remember his last name. Since then, I have no idea who the sheriff even is

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Rebeccah623@reddit

I have never interacted with a sheriff. I would probably address him or her as sir or ma’am.

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SpecialMango3384@reddit

If you know them, then yes. This usually only happens in smaller townships. I don't know many police officers in my city (my suburb doesn't have police since we have an extremely low crime rate)

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therlwl@reddit

I address them as extremely racist.

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MiketheTzar@reddit

Yes and no. For the most part the times that you see this happening are in small towns where the Sheriff's department is likely the only (or only consistent) law enforcement agency. Especially in certain places the sheriff has both been the sheriff a long time and has likely lived in the area for an extremely long time. Which makes them a little more known as that entity than say as an individual. It's not that indifferent from calling a member of the clergy Father, Pastor, Rabbi, Iman, etc.

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deadmanpass@reddit

I called ours Murray since we've known each other for 40+ years.

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bubbletea-psycho@reddit

I always say Sir.

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pdzulu@reddit

We meet deputies a lot, and we do call them “deputy” not “officer”

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chicagotim1@reddit

If you don't know them personally most people would just say "officer" or just "sir"

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SuperSpeshBaby@reddit

I'm not sure I've ever talked to a sheriff.

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Oceanbreeze871@reddit

As an American your goal is to not have any interactions with the police.

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byebybuy@reddit

Just to be clear, where I live we have city police, which is jurisdictionally distinct from our county sheriff's office, which itself consists of multiple officers. The police have a far more visible presence, and I interact with them far more (but still rarely). I have never interacted with anyone from the sheriff's office.

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CalmRip@reddit

Reverse of those of us who live in the rural counties. I've had occaison to speak with deputies in several counties, but I think I've only talked to a police officer once, in San Francisco at the New Year Parade.

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byebybuy@reddit

Yeah I should have mentioned that, good call out. The sheriff around here deals with unincorporated portions of the county, and I imagine many rural folks reside in unincorporated locations.

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drumzandice@reddit

Never talked with a sheriff and couldn’t tell you the name of my city’s sheriff

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RemonterLeTemps@reddit

I had to look up who Chicago's sheriff was (his title is actually 'Cook County Sheriff' and his name is Thomas J. Dart). If ever I were to meet the gentleman (not likely), I'd probably call him 'Sir' or 'Mr. Dart'.

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Think_Leadership_91@reddit

Ok

In cities we have police forces and police lieutenants abd similar

In rural areas they have sheriffs who are elected officials

In suburban counties we have sheriff’s departments AND county police and their duties don’t always overlap

It’s something an American understands- the Sheriff’s office enforces evictions, the county police run the county jail - but it’s difficult for me to explain

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Tactical_Epunk@reddit

I address mine as dickhead.

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OneTinSoldier567@reddit

Well since they are heavily armed and I am not. Also they have a nice legal right to kill me if they believe I am a danger. I call them anything they want.

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Techialo@reddit

Lmao, no.

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New-Number-7810@reddit

I find “Officer” works just fine.

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Cooperjb15@reddit

I don’t even know who my sheriff is it’s not like in movies they pretty much just work at the courthouse I believe

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hyrellion@reddit

I am an American and idk if I have ever spoken to a sheriff. It happens a lot in tv, but idek what the difference between a sheriff and a cop is

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T0astyMcgee@reddit

Most of us aren’t going to know a sheriff personally. I work with police departments for my job and I call the Chief, Chief out of respect.

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Mueryk@reddit

So I have two perspectives on this.

The county I live in, in Texas has almost a million people. I couldn’t identify the Sheriff if I had to. I know several of the Officers in the small city I live in of around 10k people.(small compared to everything around us mind you)

The county my father lives in, also in Texas, has fewer residents than my city(or really close to it). I do know the Sheriff and do in fact say “Hi Sheriff”. Several of the deputies know my father as well(and though I recognize them, I don’t know all their names.

So the answer is, often in the more rural areas……sure. Especially upstanding citizen and of course those who really aren’t upstanding and have cause to know the authorities well and see them repeatedly

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TheSheWhoSaidThats@reddit

I have no idea. I guess i’d call them whatever everyone else call’s them

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iloveyoumiri@reddit

I don’t associate with law enforcement but I do get a kick out of addressing my friends with any manner of honorifics when I see them.

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MattieShoes@reddit

I've never addressed a sheriff in my life.

I think it'd be similar to rules with other titles. That is, usually followed by a name, like Doctor so-and-so. But it might be shortened without losing the meaning, just like if you called the doctor "doctor". Or using sir/ma'am works fine too.

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LocalMaize1999@reddit

I’m friends with mine so I call him by his name. But you very rarely talk to the actual sheriff

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taniamorse85@reddit

I can't even remember our current sheriff's name, and I'm not even sure I could identify him if I saw him. If I did encounter him and knew he was the sheriff, I would say, "Hello, Sheriff [last name]."

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Zentharius@reddit

Yeah, it's a job title of a law enforcement officer. We don't call them Mr. or Ms. In the same way you wouldn't call a cop by those

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Practical-Basil-3494@reddit

Yes. I am involved in politics and know my sheriff personally. That is how I address him.

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Wildcat_twister12@reddit

If you know them on a personal level then I would call them by their first names. If it’s strictly professional then I would call them sheriff the same way I would called a priest Father or Reverend or just calling a doctor “Doctor” if it’s in a causal setting.

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JurassicTerror@reddit

Also, just a pet peeve but if you see cops with the sheriff’s department, they are not “sheriffs”. They are deputies… or officers.

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Nova_Echo@reddit

I know the sheriff in the county where I work, and he's a good dude. I'm an EMT so my interactions with him have virtually all been professional in nature, so I usually call him "Sheriff" or "sir." Funny enough he actually goes out of his way to remember people's names, so he always addresses me by my first name.

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Narrator2012@reddit

Often in smaller towns in America, the mayor is also the sheriff. Residents would then just address them as "Meriff"

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chrisinator9393@reddit

No. I don't know them nor have I ever seen them. If I did, I'd probably just treat them with respect like any other stranger.

I don't buy into that whole calling people by their job bullshit. Like in kitchens everyone calling the head honcho "chef."

We have a chef where I work. I call him Jim. That's his name.

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Courwes@reddit

I have no idea who my sheriff is. Not every county is Mayberry with 500 people.

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cool_weed_dad@reddit

I don’t even know who my local sheriff is

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justamiqote@reddit

I've never met our sheriff.

Contrary to popular belief, Most American towns don't look like this, and have a population of more than 40 people.

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pumainpurple@reddit

To the best of my knowledge, the vast majority of people will never be in the physical presence of their county sheriff. But if they were and were in the position of addressing it would be formal and using his title and last name.

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Mmmmmmm_Bacon@reddit

I’m 51 and I don’t recall ever referring to a sheriff as a sheriff. I don’t use titles. I talk to them like they are normal regular people.

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Sanguiniutron@reddit

I'd say most have never even met a Sheriff. If you know them personally you probably live in a small town or work there. But even that's not a guarantee. I worked at a sheriff's office for like 2 years in college and interacted with the actual Sheriff one time for like 15 seconds.

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_Disco-Stu@reddit

I always address people the way they prefer to be addressed and usually that’s however they’ve introduced themselves to me. If I’m not sure, I always use formal first - a cultural norm in many places around the world.

I’d refer to her as Sheriff and allow her to redirect me to something more informal if she chooses rather than the other way around.

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DinnerTimeSanders@reddit

I don't talk to my sheriff at all.

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notyogrannysgrandkid@reddit

I saw Sheriff Randy Shores at the HS football game last weekend. He doesn’t really know me, but I know who he is. I still said, “hey Randy,” as I walked by. Being an old timey Southern guy, he said, “hey buddy!” before even considering if he knew me.

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youfailedthiscity@reddit

I've never met or even heard a si gle thing about our sheriff.

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MiklaneTrane@reddit

Probably for the best. It's generally only the especially shitty ones (Joe Arpaio, anybody?) who make the news.

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47-30-23N_122-0-22W@reddit

If you get pulled over by a sheriff perhaps. Otherwise sheriff is just a type of county cop who patrols the areas town cops can't. There's no special authority granted to the title VS a chief who does have special authorities.

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MiklaneTrane@reddit

Actually, if you're getting pulled over by someone from the sheriff's office they are most likely a sheriff's deputy. The actual titled Sheriff is more or less the police chief of the county.

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No-Helicopter7299@reddit

I do.

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Background-Passion50@reddit

If you know the Sheriff you might. But, if you’re friends with a cop you don’t typically say “Hey Patrolman” or “Whats up Sergeant?” You typically just go “Hey Roy how’s work?” Or something like that.

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Routine_Phone_2550@reddit

I’ve never met my sheriff personally, but when talking to law enforcement officers, address them as “officer” “sir” or “ma’am.” If I were to meet my sheriff, I would address them as “sheriff” “sir” or “ma’am.”

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saberlight81@reddit

I have never heard of someone having an interaction with The Sheriff. I doubt 90% of Americans, even most politically engaged ones, could name or recognize their sheriff.

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DankItchins@reddit

It'd be very small counties moreso than small towns, but yeah, most folks aren't interacting with their sheriff on a day to day basis.

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MiklaneTrane@reddit

"Small" in terms of population, just to clarify. Sheriffs and sheriff's deputies are more likely to be the 'front line' law enforcement (that is, no city/town/village police department that they share jurisdiction with) in rural counties that have a lot of land but not a lot of people. In those communities, people are much more likely to know the sheriff and some/all of the deputies because they're essentially serving as beat cops with a beat that covers a large geographic area.

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1radgirl@reddit

This is a very small town, everyone is on a first-name basis here.

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Zardozin@reddit

I always say “see here copper, ya got nothing on me”

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BankManager69420@reddit

Yes. That is how I typically refer to our Sheriff. That’s being said I’ve only met them in person a couple times.

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throwawayinmayberry@reddit

Professionally yes, personally no. The exception would be an older person with many years at the job, as these are elected jobs, there’s a different level of respect due. ( just my opinion)

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FortuneWhereThoutBe@reddit

I had a cousin who was county sheriff. We called him by name everybody else it was sheriff last name. Kids would call him sheriff first name

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tomcat_tweaker@reddit

I saw my sheriff in person for the first time when I early voted last week. I said, "Hi, Sheriff". She said, "Hi".

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GreenNeonCactus@reddit

Interesting and varied responses (I am an American). One thing that I think would be consistent across geographies in the US is that if you were to see a news conference or something similar on TV, people would use the title "Sheriff ..."

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Odd-Percentage-4084@reddit

Maybe 150 years ago. These days, almost nobody knows who their sheriff is, much less has the ability to recognize them.

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CaptainPunisher@reddit

I'm in a city with about 450k people, and the sheriff is a county job, so there are even more people over that number (city is inside the county, but had a police force all its own generally not in the jurisdiction of the sheriff). Around here, Sheriff is pretty much an administrative position, not an active patrolling law enforcement agent. He DOES have that power, but it's not the best use of his time.

For law enforcement outside of city limits, there are sheriff's deputies. The correct term to refer to them by title is Deputy Smith, but most don't get ruffled if you call them Officer Smith. As for the actual Sheriff, you probably won't see him on duty outside the office except for publicity events. If you recognize him but don't know him personally, you might call him Sheriff Jones, but if you deal with him regularly you'll probably just call him Pete.

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erin_burr@reddit

Maybe in a professional setting. I would call mine Gilbert, because that’s his name (i had to Google it, sheriffs in New Jersey aren’t powerful. They protect the court house, execute foreclosures, and run the county jail).

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dystopiadattopia@reddit

Sheriffs are at the county level, while the police force works for the city, so you're far more likely to encounter a police officer rather than anyone from the sheriff's office. But if I ever did I'd probably just say "officer," because I'm not a character in a Western.

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iinr_SkaterCat@reddit

Most people dont even know the last name of the sheriffs tbh, and they dont really walk around that much. Atleast where i live, i see them mostly just on the highway and busier roads doing traffic stops.

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an_atom_bomb@reddit

if it’s the elected official and he/she wants me to call them that then sure, I’ll refer to them as “Sheriff”

If it’s a Deputy I’ll refer to them as “Deputy so-and-so” the same way I’d call a City Policeman “Officer so-and-so”

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DirtierGibson@reddit

Former sheriff in my county I considered a friend, so in private and in front of other friends I'd call him by his first name.

In public however I'd address him as "Sheriff".

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7yearlurkernowposter@reddit

We don't talk to him and he just threatens to beat people and calls them monkeys so that's the arrangement.

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mustangsal@reddit

It's a title like Doctor or Professor. Sheriff, Deputy, Officer, Detective, and Your Honor are all respectful designations for specific jobs.

When I lived in North Carolina, I used to shoot with the local sheriff "Chuck" at the range. We all knew each other by name and we'd really only call him Sheriff if he shot poorly to bust his chops.

In New Jersey, when I was a paramedic, we knew a lot of the cops on a personal level... but while on scene, we always addressed them by title Officer, Detective, etc.

One of my friends from Highschool became a lawyer, and later a judge. While I'll likely never be in front of him while he's on the bench, we call him "YoHona" to bust his chops.

So, yes. We do use their title when we speak with them, especially in a professsional setting... However, I don't know any of them that get bent out of shape if you call them by name (assuming you know them).

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DOMSdeluise@reddit

I live in a city with a police force.

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PhysicsEagle@reddit

Sheriff is a county position.

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Mr_Kittlesworth@reddit

Generally those places still have a sheriffs dept. that dept will usually handle court and jail security and operations.

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Odd-Help-4293@reddit

I've never met my city's sheriff, and I think it's unlikely I ever will. People do refer to him as "Sheriff Jenkins" though. Even in the newspaper articles about his upcoming trial for using police resources to buy illegal firearms for buddy of his who gave him kickbacks.

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PhysicsEagle@reddit

In most states, sheriff is a county position, meaning there’s one sheriff per county meaning you’ve probably never met him. If you do meet him then yes, “sheriff” would be the correct form of address. You’re much more likely to encounter one of the sheriff’s deputies. No idea how to address those guys, but if they pull you over on the highway it’d probably just be “officer” like other uniformed law enforcement

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the_owl_syndicate@reddit

I grew up in a small town where the county sheriff was....notorious. Think Dukes of Hazard Boss Hog notorious.

When we talked about him, we referred to him as "the sheriff" and when he was introduced, it was as "Sheriff Name" but in conversation, it was generally "sir" or mister". Same with the mayor and judges, except in formal situations like town meetings or the courtroom, then they are addressed by their title.

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studdedspike@reddit

no, i usually call him "Asshole"

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Th3MiteeyLambo@reddit

Back when I lived in the town I grew up in, the town cop (we only had one, it was a very small town) was a family friend, we all just called him by his first name lol

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_pamelab@reddit

I assume so. I’ve never met the guy.

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ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit

Where I live, the (elected) sheriff is basically CEO of a large police force, so you're unlikely to encounter him one-on-one.

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the_sir_z@reddit

I've seen a lot of people who have casual/business relationships with judges call them "judge" routinely outside of official business (where they would be Your Honor). I could definitely see this extending to sheriffs.

But I've never actually been around an elected sheriff, so no idea.

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Subvet98@reddit

If he is acting like in his professional capacity. Yes. Otherwise no

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Eric848448@reddit

I’ve never met her and don’t imagine I’ll have any reason to.

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RingGiver@reddit

I haven't ever met the sheriff. I have met a few of my local elected officials, but not that one. I probably would address the sheriff as "sheriff," though.

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boredherobrine13@reddit

Sheriffs offices exist in cities but are rarely encountered nor would anyone know them. In general we encounter police more frequently, but a lot of us avoid law enforcement in general.

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MontEcola@reddit

No. First name relationship. At least that was true when my parents rented the front of the building, the Sheriff had the back and sides. They shared the break room.

I was a kid. And I loved walking into the basement to see the jail cells down there. It was creepy. the lights hardly worked. So there was a new jail somewhere, and this was never used. That is why a civilian office was allowed to be in the front. My parent's office space was wide open with no locks to the break room. The sheriff's areas were all heavily locked with very solid doors.

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Altril2010@reddit

As the daughter of a cop… no. I normally called them all by first name. The only time I ever addressed one as “Sheriff Lastname” was when I was working as a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office and didn’t think calling him Uncle during work hours would be appropriate.

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macacolouco@reddit

I would think that Disney/Nicklodeon kids shows are good practice for SNL.

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boracay302@reddit

Also known as PIG

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Ibn-Rushd@reddit

Yes.

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Max_Powers-@reddit

I have met the county Sheriff a couple of times. I would address him by Sheriff. I live in Texas so there may be some kind of law requiring it.

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mosiac_broken_hearts@reddit

Nah, it’s really just a film small-town trope. I live in a town of about 5k and I 1)rarely see a county cop 2) wouldn’t know them if I had 3) addressing someone by a title is a show of respect and you won’t find a ton of that for cops right now. I think they do it in movies to get across the small-town, everyone-knows-everyone point

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theshortlady@reddit

My husband and I knew the sheriff. We called him Sheriff Ray. He retired.

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astronautmyproblem@reddit

Yes. My grandfather in law is the sheriff in a northern Kentucky county and everyone calls him sheriff

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MunitionGuyMike@reddit

No. I say sir or ma’am

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JobbyJobberson@reddit

Yes, I see the Sheriff nearly every day at the county parking garage. I’m doing contract work there for the next few months.

Everyone I’ve seen interacting with him, or just in passing, addresses him as Sheriff - good morning, Sheriff, etc.

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TerribleCaregiver909@reddit

Mostly his first name

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HuckleberrySpy@reddit

I don't think I've ever met a sheriff. If I knew one personally and not purely in their professional capacity, I'd probably just call them by their first name.

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KoldProduct@reddit

I do, yes.

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TEG24601@reddit

Yes. I address my local sheriff as sheriff, deputies as deputy, and the chief of police as chief. They have earned those titles.

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ZealousidealAd4860@reddit

Yes

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DocTarr@reddit

Law enforcement get a sir from me - I don't try and figure out who they are and what the protocol is. I suppose if I heard others call them sheriff I'd follow suit.

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SDEexorect@reddit

no, i address him as dickhead

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Mysterious-Meat7712@reddit

No.

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RioTheLeoo@reddit

I prefer “Dick Head”

Though neither I nor the average person is ever going to interact with the sheriff

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hellcicle@reddit

LASD is whole other level of dickishness

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Practical-Ordinary-6@reddit

Personally, in my case our sheriff is probably sitting in an office behind a desk in a building somewhere managing a department that probably has several hundred employees. You aren't likely to run into him anywhere unless you have some high level business with him.

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DoublePostedBroski@reddit

I mean, I’m not friends with the sheriff so I don’t know. It’s not like I see him anywhere.

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03zx3@reddit

We did in my hometown with a population of 360ish where everyone knew everyone, but I haven't heard it in larger towns.

Of course, the local tribe took over the town's policing so we don't have a sheriff anymore.

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VoluptuousValeera@reddit

Yes. (When I lived in a tiny town) But most people will never even meet the sheriff to ever call them that let alone recognize them on the street. Their coworkers, friends, and businesses they frequent likely know they are a Sheriff and call them that either out of respect (employees of those businesses, coworkers, possibly loved ones) or in slight jest (loved ones).

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