County sheriffs are up for election across the Commonwealth this November in 33 counties.
This coming November, voters in 33 Pennsylvania counties will decide their next county sheriff.
Sheriff’s offices serve an essential role across Commonwealth counties by overseeing courtroom safety, jail operations, and arrest warrants.
Sheriffs in Pennsylvania must participate in 760 hours of training and pass proficiency tests, whether they are elected or appointed to the position. They focus on civil work in their respective county.
James Ott, president of the Pennsylvania Sheriff’s Association and Blair County sheriff, summarized the sheriff’s office general duties in a recent interview.
Ott said the sheriff’s office focuses on providing security and protection to courtrooms, transporting people to and from jail for court proceedings, providing witness transports from prisons, organizing foreclosure sales, handling License to Carry firearm permits, and executing restraining orders.
Outside of Pennsylvania, sheriffs are the primary police force for many communities. In the Commonwealth, those duties are handled primarily by State Police. Sheriffs are not the primary responders for emergency calls or criminal investigations.
The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office is the only one in the Commonwealth that has the full capabilities of municipal police, Ott explained.
Sheriffs decide where to allocate extra resources within their county. This can range from traffic patrol operations or courtroom duties.
“As an elected official, the sheriff has the full responsibility of running his or her office as legally outlined and as they deem fit for their necessity,” said Ott in the interview.
“I think you have to take a totality of what you think they’re going to face and do, and make decisions on how they’re going to best serve the community. What’s going to make your community the safest, and what’s going to be the best working relationship with your community?” Ott said of the upcoming sheriff elections across Pennsylvania.
A sheriff’s term lasts four years. The counties that are not electing a sheriff this year will have a sheriff election in 2027; besides Northampton County, whose officials appoint a sheriff.
