Duties & Mandates Required of the Sheriff

Below are some of the duties and mandates required of the Sheriff.

O.C.G.A. § 15-16-10 cites specific duties of the sheriff:

• Execute & return processes and orders of the court
• Attend all sessions of Superior Court
• Attend election sites
• Publish sales, citations, & other proceedings as required by law
• Maintain an execution docket
• Maintain record of all sales made by process of court
• Receive from the preceding sheriff all unexecuted writs & processes
• Perform such duties imposed by law
• Exercise same duties, powers & arrest authority within the municipalities and • Develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the security of the courthouse and any annex. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg of the responsibilities of the Office of Sheriff.

In Georgia statutes, the responsibilities of the sheriff are mentioned over 600 times. The Office of Sheriff is mandated to enforce hundreds of laws, often without additional resources. Some of these mandates include:

• Mental Health Transports (O.C.G.A. § 37-3-101)
• Courthouse Security (O.C.G.A. § 15-16-10)
• Sex Offender Registry (O.C.G.A. § 42-1-12)
• Determine Legal Status of Immigrants (O.C.G.A. § 42-4-14)
• Private Civil Process Server Registry (O.C.G.A. § 9-11-4.1)
• Full fill and enforce laws governing raffles (O.C.G.A. § 16-12-22.1)
• Formulate professional bonding company polices (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-15)
• Assist county dog officer in enforcement of dangerous dog laws (O.C.G.A. § 4-8-22)
• Confiscate and destroy any illegal gambling devises (O.C.G.A. § 16-12-30)
• Impound livestock running at large (O.C.G.A. § 4-3-4)
• Confiscate and destroy illegal fireworks (O.C.G.A. § 25-10-6)
• Enforce laws and regulations of the “Georgia Boat Safety Act” (O.C.G.A. § 52-7-25)
• Take custody of persons with contagious TB (O.C.G.A. § 31-14-5, 7, 11) • Maintain a register of all precious metal dealers (O.C.G.A. § 43-37-2)