History & Mission

The History of Office of Sheriff

The Office of Sheriff in Texas was created by the Texas Constitution. There are 254 Counties in Texas and each county has a Sheriff. By statutes, the Sheriff is a Texas peace officer, a conservator of the peace, enforces the criminal laws of the State, and is responsible for the county jail, bail bonds, civil process, and security of the courts. In some small counties the Sheriff is also the tax collector.

The Office of Sheriff is one of the oldest offices known to our system of jurisprudence. Sheriffs are elected to office and serve for a four-year term. The size of Texas Sheriff's offices are as diverse as the population of their counties.

Mission Statement

The preamble of the first meeting: "That we, as Sheriffs, have assembled in convention for no political purpose whatsoever, but for the purpose of more successfully aiding each other as officers, to execute the laws, in the discharge of our duties against criminals, and for the further and better protection of the citizens of our respective counties and the State at large."

While the association is necessarily more involved in the state and federal legislative processes of today, the goal and mission of the association remains consistent with its founding principles.