Sheriffs in Alton, MO

The term 'Sheriff' is usually used for a legal official with responsibility of a county. However, the legal and political duties of a sheriff vary greatly from country to country. For example, in countries like Ireland, Australia and Canada sheriffs are administrative legal officials, whereas, in Scotland they are judges. In the United States of America, the role of a sheriff varies between different states and counties. In Alton, the sheriff is a county official, the arm of the county court. In some places they may be restricted to these court duties, such as administering the county jail, courtroom security, prisoner transport, serving warrants, service of process or police administration. Sheriffs may also patrol outside of city/town limits or jurisdiction. In many rural areas, sheriffs and their deputies are the principal form of police.