Ime, if I can make a broad generalization - Sheriffs are cooler than police chiefs. The latter are almost always appointees, of the mayor or city council. They will just echo whatever policy stances etc. their boss supports. They are usually cop-o-crats (bureaucrat cops) to the max. Seattle is the perfect example. Their chief is just an echo of whomever happens to be the mayor. They have a mediocre PD and their chiefs are always spineless cop-o-crats. Kerlikowske was awful, btw. Now, he is pres. obama's "drug czar". Gag me with a spoon
I'd way rather see a sheriff, one who can act as a foil to a mayor, etc. than a chief who just acts as a servant to one
Sheriffs answer to the PEOPLE, not a politician (mayor, etc.) and with that autonomy, ime, comes a more pragmatic, down to earth style imo. Don't get me wrong, there are some buttmunch sheriffs out there, but on average, I'd rather live under the jurisdiction of the county (here in the NW) vs. the city. Back east where I lived, the sheriff wasn't in law enforcement at all. In MA, for example, there are no unincorporated areas, and the sheriff is just the jailer. But here in WA (and disproportionately in Western and Southern states), it's a different story. I live in a city jurisdiction right now, and my city PD is AWESOME, but I am just speaking on average
