Opinion ID: 76264
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Lack of County Control over Sheriff and Deputies

Text: 36 In contrast to the State, counties have no authority or control over, and no role in, Georgia sheriffs' law enforcement function. Counties do not grant sheriffs their law enforcement powers, and neither prescribe nor control their law enforcement duties and policies. Counties also have no role in the training or supervision of the sheriff's deputies. Instead, sheriffs exercise authority over their deputies independent from the county. Sheriffs alone hire and fire their deputies. O.C.G.A. § 15-16-23; Wayne County v. Herrin, 210 Ga.App. 747, 751, 437 S.E.2d 793 (1993). 37 Georgia courts have concluded that sheriffs' deputies are employees of the sheriff and not the county. Warren v. Walton, 231 Ga. 495, 499, 202 S.E.2d 405 (1973) (recognizing that [d]eputy sheriffs... are employees of the sheriff, whom the sheriffs alone are entitled to appoint or discharge) (internal quotation marks omitted); Drost v. Robinson, 194 Ga. 703, 710, 22 S.E.2d 475 (1942); Brown v. Jackson, 221 Ga.App. 200, 201, 470 S.E.2d 786 (1996) (noting deputy sheriffs were employees of the sheriff and not Peach County); Herrin, 210 Ga.App. at 751, 437 S.E.2d 793; Pettus v. Smith, 174 Ga.App. 587, 588, 330 S.E.2d 735 (1985); cf. Boswell v. Bramlett, 274 Ga. 50, 51, 549 S.E.2d 100 (2001) ([E]mployees of constitutionally elected officers of a county are considered employees of the elected officer and not employees of the county, as represented by the local governing authority.). 38 Georgia courts also speak with unanimity in concluding that a defendant county cannot be held liable for the tortious actions of the sheriff or his deputies in performing their law enforcement activities. Wayne County Bd. of Comm'rs v. Warren, 236 Ga. 150, 152, 223 S.E.2d 133 (1976) ([A] county has no liability in connection with the violations of the civil rights of any person by a county officer.); Brown, 221 Ga.App. at 201, 470 S.E.2d 786 (affirming summary judgment for Peach County because the Peach County sheriff, not Peach County, was the proper party to sue); Lowe v. Jones County, 231 Ga.App. 372, 373, 499 S.E.2d 348 (1998) (concluding deputy sheriffs are employees of the sheriff, not the county, and the county cannot be held vicariously liable as their principal) (emphasis added); Pettus, 174 Ga. App. at 588, 330 S.E.2d 735 (affirming summary judgment for county board of commissioners and concluding, [a]s the county commissioners had no control over the official duties of the deputy sheriff ..., they had no duty to determine whether a high-speed driving course rather than a defensive driving course was reasonably required to be supplied to deputy sheriffs); Chadwick v. Stewart, 94 Ga.App. 329, 329, 94 S.E.2d 502 (1956). 21 In two of these cases concluding that the county was not liable, the plaintiffs brought actions against the sheriff as a defendant in his official and individual capacities and separately against the county as a defendant. Brown, 221 Ga.App. at 201, 470 S.E.2d 786 (Peach County sheriff, not Peach County, was the proper party to sue); Lowe, 231 Ga.App. at 373, 499 S.E.2d 348 (noting that plaintiff brought action against county as well as sheriff in official capacity). 39 Likewise, Georgia courts have concluded that counties are not liable for, and not required to give sheriffs money to pay, judgments against sheriffs in civil rights actions. See Wayne County Bd. of Comm'rs v. Warren, 236 Ga. 150, 152, 223 S.E.2d 133 (1976) (stating a county has no liability for the violations of the civil rights of any person by a county sheriff). The Georgia Supreme Court in Warren quoted a Georgia statute stating that [a] county is not liable to suit for any cause of action unless made so by statute. Id. at 151, 223 S.E.2d 133 (quotation marks omitted). 22 Thus, by statute, the county was not liable. In addition, the Georgia Supreme Court concluded that there is no duty of the county to furnish the sheriff with money to settle a civil rights judgment against him. Id. at 152, 223 S.E.2d 133.