I recently completed a new paper on contracts between cities and sheriffs for law enforcement services. It is available here.
Dozens of North Carolina municipalities have decided not to operate their own police departments, and instead have entered into contracts with their local sheriffs’ offices for designated levels of law enforcement services. There are plusses and minuses to such arrangements, which the paper details. It also notes some of the terms that parties considering such contracts may wish to include, and discusses the formalities required for each side to enter into such agreements.
The paper may be of greatest interest to elected officials, city and county managers, local government attorneys, and sheriffs’ offices. But the topic is inherently somewhat interesting – at least, I think so – and people with various roles in the criminal justice system may enjoy thinking through some of the jurisdictional and practical considerations that these interlocal agreements present.
The paper would not have been possible without the work of Caleigh Sipprell, a UNC undergraduate who served as my research assistant on the project. She contacted scores of towns asking whether they had contracts with the sheriff, and if so, requesting copies. She also read through the agreements and noted similarities and differences. Her diligence was an essential driver of the paper, and I am grateful for her assistance. I also appreciate the input I received from many pre-publication reviewers, both inside and outside the School.
If readers have any comments on the paper, I welcome them. Please reach out to me by email or phone. My contact information is on my School of Government faculty page.