page_title: Sheriffs in the United States
section_title: Ohio
hierarchical_section_title: Sheriffs in the United States / Sheriff types by state / Ohio
caption_attribution_description: Portrait of w:Ebenezer Sproat, from page 323 of the book by Thomas Weston: History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1906). ColWilliam (talk) 23:18, 27 July 2010 (UTC)
context_page_description: In the United States, a sheriff is an official in a county or independent city responsible for keeping the peace and enforcing the law. Unlike most officials in law enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected, although some states have laws requiring certain law enforcement qualifications of candidates. Elected sheriffs are accountable directly to the citizens of their county, the constitution of their state, and ultimately the United States Constitution.
  The responsibilities of sheriffs and their agencies vary considerably by county. Many sheriffs have the role of a police chief, though some lead agencies with limited law enforcement duties. Sheriffs are also often responsible for managing county jails and security at local government buildings.
context_section_description: Until Ohio achieved statehood in 1803, the position of Sheriff was filled through appointments made at the pleasure of the Territorial Governor, Arthur St. Clair. The first Sheriff on the record in Ohio and the Northwest Territory was Colonel Ebenezer Sproat, who served fourteen years in the position. When he was appointed in 1788, Colonel Sproat's jurisdiction covered all of Washington County; this enormous area of land then included all of eastern Ohio from the Ohio River to Lake Erie. The "First to Serve Since 1788" motto on Ohio sheriff vehicles refers to Sheriff Sproat's service.
  After statehood, only three public offices in Ohio were filled via the electoral-process system. The position of Sheriff was one of them. Through this new system, William Skinner became the first elected Sheriff in the Buckeye State. Since the early 19th century, Ohio sheriffs have been elected at the county level for four-year terms.
  In each of the 88 counties of Ohio, the sheriff is the chief law-enforcement officer. The primary duties of the sheriff are to provide common pleas court services and corrections on a countywide basis, and full police protection to the unincorporated areas of the county; however, the sheriff also maintains full police jurisdiction in all municipalities, townships, and villages. Each sheriff is also statutorily required to provide line law enforcement, court security and service of papers, jail operations, extradition process, and transportation of prisoners.
  In an effort to become consistent on a statewide level, Ohio sheriffs and deputies wear a standardized uniform, and all patrol vehicles are marked in the same manner.
caption: Ebenezer Sproat, first sheriff in the Northwest Territory.
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