Sheriff (Canada)


 * "Sheriff service" or "sheriff agency" redirects here; for individual sheriff services, see List of Canadian sheriff services.

In the Canadian Republic, a sheriff (French: chérif(fe)) is the official title of the highest-ranking law enforcement official of a sheriff service, a type of law enforcement agency which has full authority to enforce the Criminal Code within its jurisdiction, but generally leaves that to the respective provincial police or federal agencies, with sheriff services typically handling judicial policing/security, bailiff services, detention of remanded arrestees and transportation of remanded detainees and prisoners, and personal protection of top government personnel.

The title of simply "Sheriff" is reserved for the highest-ranking official, analogous to a Chief Constable in a provincial police agency or the Commissioner of the RCMP. All personnel of a sheriff service other than the Sheriff are referred to as deputies or more formally, sheriff's deputies, and have their own ranking system which differs from those of the regular police.