I read the post above about LEO but have specific questions. I'll be entering the academy very soon and an thinking about PD vs SO.
What is the advantage of PD and SO

Which do you have more of a chance for advancement? I would think SO because its larger.
Which do you have more chance to go to schools? Also, I would think the SO.

PD seems like you have more back up and less work. Also PD in my area gets paid more.

PD:
The Police Chief is appointed by the City Mayor... so the PC generally does what the City Mayor wants.
Funding comes from just the City.
Smaller patrol area so your calls for service are more 'centralized' to the City.
Generally doesn't have a lot of full service units unless it's a large Metro area.
Generally has the blues & black uniforms.

SO:
The Sheriff is an Elected Official which means that he is supposed to follow what's best for the Constituents (the People).
Funding comes from the County.
Calls for service can be spread out all throughout the County.
Typically has full service units:  SAR teams, Dive Teams, K9's, SWAT teams, Air Support, etc...
Generally has the brown, tans, and green colored uniforms.

Each has their own pro's and con's.  In regards to backup, if you put out the '999' / '10-99' / etc... it doesn't matter what color your uniform is or what the name on your car is.... you go and go fast!!!!!  My concern for a department would be the type of calls for service, the training programs they have in place, any previous corruption within the past 5 to 10 years, and how they treat their Officers & Deputies.  You can have a kick ass department that has all these fancy whiz-bang things, but if they treat their people like shit, then chances are you're going to not enjoy the job and you're going to have issues.  Whereas if you work for a department that doesn't have a lot of stuff, but they make the most of what they have and treat their guys & gals good, then you're having a much better time working and you're more likely to stay long term with them.  Don't look at the salary as it's not the whole picture.

Hope it helps.  FWIW, if I had to do it again, I'd choose SO > PD > Federal.

Depends greatly on the locale. My kid is a deputy for our county. Aside from murders and crash scene investigations (staties have the only lab facilities), which here are delegated specifically to the state police, our SO is like a county version of the staties. Typically the two departments rotate coverage on the non-city police areas, which is 90%+ of our county.

Police chiefs around here tend to be hired by city councils after a search. I'm not aware of any place around here where it is really an appointed position, it is more like just being hired as a regular duty officer, the duties are just different. Changes in mayors/councils don't tend to alter who the chief is.

The SO and most PDs have their own SWAT/SRT. Most of the time the local PD wins SWAT Round up most of the time.. The SO usually have a very large area to cover and there are only 2 units for each sector which can take 30 minutes to go from end to end. I'm thinking SO because I can get more training/schools, more chance for advancement and if I don't like the leadership of one AO I can switch to another.

Are you talking in/around Orange County, FL?

 

Most places in the central FL area.

When looking at pay, take into account what benefits cost.  By the time you figure in health insurance, retirement and leave/sick benefits it may come out better with the supposed lesser paying agency.

Talking Florida only, SO's will have more variety of assignments than most PD's, save large PD's.  A lot of sheriff's offices patrol urban, outlying and rural areas.  This can be nice if you want to have a break in the routine.   Tired of working that urban area and all the calls that come with it? Ask for a zone change and get out in the suburbs and rural areas. Around here, a medium size SO will most likely offer you a chance to at least start in patrol then apply for criminal investigations, narcotics investigations, warrants service (and extraditions), school resource deputy, court security, crime scene investigaions and possibly traffic unit.  Those options may come in handy 5, 10, 15 or 20 years from now.

in the end, you may be proud to be a
Sherif      
Sherrif
Deputy

Why is it so damn hard to spell Sherriff Sherrif Sherif Sheriff??

Depends on agency size and a whole lot of variables unique to a given agency

Depends, where I am at our dept is the County Police.  We are the main LE in the county, with a few cities having their own police force.  Our County Sheriff primarily serve papers and provide court house security/prisoner transport.

It seems like the bigger the agency the better it is for advancement, schools and equipment. I guess I'll look for a large well funded agency. So, how do find out which agency has better equipment, benefits, advancement etc...?

Extorris would likely beg to differ that a large agency means any of those things apply

NYPD is known to be a giant shit show, which is why you see a ton if their cops go far and wide to other agencies.  That said, you still have a better chance at going somewhere inside that department, compared to some shop that's 20 people.    

Go where you top out in pay the highest, where the retirement is decent and where there's a contract.  In my area, it means city PDs.  State guys haven't had a raise in 5 years and are hemmoraging people.  Large neighboring SO tops out $10k bellow most PDs and they are at will of the Sheriff for their whole career.  Smaller SOs are paid peanuts and they clean house every time a new sheriff is elected.

Depending on the department, your jobs could be totally different for a long time, even in the same area. I was told that new sheriff deputies in my area have many years of working in the county lock-up before they have enough seniority to do something else, while new police officers will be out on the street on day one.

They're two different job titles here
I think working the jail was good for getting to know who the bad guys were.
I think it would be a waste to take a new Deputy Sheriff with full LE certs and put them in the jail, but doing some time first as a CO is good experience for the young road officer

Several of the SO's that I've interacted with first have their Deputies work Intake & Detention for a year or so before considering them for the street.  Just like you stated, it's a great way to get to know who your frequent flyers are, and gives you a good opportunity to learn how to talk to & deal with 'the special snowflakes'.

I hear the experience is good but I would rather be on the streets. I know the local SO doesn't require it unless you're sponsored. If you are you have to do 2 years.

Crawl, Walk, Run.  Everyone always wants to go straight to the streets.  Just like everyone wants to go straight to SWAT, Narcotics, K9, Fugitives, etc...  Gotta learn the basics before you can move onto other things.  Plus, I'd be pissed if I was working the jail waiting for a Patrol spot and some Boot got put right out from the Academy to Patrol.  
Just sayin.

I know someone in the academy now and most are not going to detention except those that are sponsored. In this AO most go to the streets from the academy from what I understand. If that's what I have to do I will but if I don't I would rather go to the streets.

A lot depends on the area/city size/type of terrain.

In general

SO:
-Sherriff is elected. Which has its good and bad. If you are dealing with a wealthy person/someone with political pull/sheriffs friend/family you can be in a bind.
-You are generally more accountable to the 'people' because its elected.
-Better funding for specialized units in some cases/more units/resources
-More jurisdiction. My experience is most deputies don't use it though. IE they only handle stuff out of city limits.
-Political in terms of hire/fire/promotions. Know guys who've went from working crap details to 10+ years to one guy I know working 25 years and never getting to sergeant because he pissed off the wrong person early/never brown nosed to get in brass good graces.
-Backup is further away typically. However I think 'country people' are easier to deal with then 'city people' (Strange as it may sound)
-Can be fired or demoted on whim of the Sheriff/brass.
-Better benefits. Especially after retirement
-Raises/promotions are based on how good you are/ if the sheriff likes you. IE I know a guy who worked for a SO 4 years and was a freaking captain


PD
-Chief typically appointed which means accountable to mayor.
-Less accountable to the 'people'/ you handle your business without as much worry for political implications
-Smaller jurisdiction. Can either mean your slower or busier depending on city size/type
-Funding/sections also depends on size of city.
- If civil service EXTREMLY good job security.  In a CS department you typically have to repeatedly violate GO/Policy/Commit a crime to be fire. Hell, in some cases you might do the above and still either be able to get your job back + you can sue for back pay. Same thing for demotions usually.
-Promotions go by seniority usually.

A few other details but those are the factors that makes me prefer PD. Around here the SO has crappy training and the PD blows them out of the water. I've friends who've gone PD to SO and SO to PD so I've a good handle on our local agencies. Again, different agencies/areas will be different. As for PD doing less work I'd say we do 50-75% more work the then SO around here. In a 12hr a shift a deputy here might log 12-15 calls on an average night. Maybe 2-3 reports. A busy night might be 20-25 calls with 3-4 reports. PD here on average will log about 20-25 calls per shift. 3-4 reports. On a busy night maybe up to 35-40 calls. 6-8 reports.


I guess another major factor is what kind of calls you want to work. Rural BS vs City BS. IMO at the end of the day its same BS different uniform.

I have a lot of civilian and military education/school already. I have done a lot of teaching for LE and military as a "subject matter expert.." So, I think advancement would be quicker with SO than PD if PD does it by time/seniority. I'm older and time is not on my side. With that in mind, I'm leaning towards SO at this point.

-In SOs without civil service protection you are absolutely more vulnerable.
-I can relate to the non-advancement through pissing off the wrong people/ lack of brown-nosing bit. It bothers me inasmuch as everyone wants to advance a bit, but I've done a bit over my life and don't have anything to be ashamed of. The politics kills me, though.
-I wouldn't say that we have "better funding" except compared to the village PDs
-I agree that the traditional "country folk" are a different breed than the urban dwellers. Trouble is, DSS is placing a lot of those former urban dwellers out in cheaper section 8 housing in the unincorporated areas. That means we ARE dealing with that demographic a lot more than we did early in my career.
-Backup...urban and rural agencies use different tactics, no doubt about it. This is especially obvious when you have rural and urban officers going through the same role playing simunitions-type training events.
-I would say that in small village PDs the typical officer is VERY accountable, from my experience
-We may cover the entire county jurisdiction, but there is generally no reason to handle calls in an area with its own PD. We are busy enough in the unincorporated areas to be handling calls in the incorporated cities and villages. I'll do traffic enforcement if I run across something in an incorporated area, but otherwise those taxpayers are paying for their own PD and that agency can handle its own call load....

Lots of things to consider. Either way it's going to be good and there are lots options.

"The Sharif don't like it, Rockin' the Casbah"

In my area, the pay is comparable between the two.  The PD has SWAT, the S.O. doesn't.  Although I do refer to our deputies as the armed division of UPS. The biggest difference is the PD deals with primarily the urban/ commercial demographic and the SO handles the bumpkin/ rural demographic.  The SO also tends to work more traffic fatalities due to the longer, faster highways.

In Florida (where the OP posted from) a lot of the sheriff's offices will have a mix of urban and rural patrol areas.  You will often find comparable services and capabilities, and some differences.  If you really like working traffic accidents, you will work more of them at a PD than an SO (thanks FHP).  At an SO you will serve more warrants and get involved in a lot more of the civil side of the job.e, if only one agency in a county has an Air Unit, you can pretty much bet it is the SO.  As far as back up, not to be a critic, but if the availability of back up is a high priority of choices on which department you choose, LE may not be the best gig for the person who rates that high on the list.  Speaking of back up, a deputy will probably work with more agencies than a PD officer.  A deputy may back up a city officer, trooper, FWC officer and Probation and Parole and adjoining SO's.  The deputy may also get backed up by these agencies when he needs help.    

Florida sheriff''s should fall under career protection, as years ago you could actually lose your job if a new sheriff came in they could replace everyone they wanted.  I believe some "appointed" positions may not have the same level of protection (senior command staff).  Politics are politics and you will see them in PD's and SO's.  I can tell you that in my area the old "I'd work for the sheriff, but I dont like being told I can't write tickets" is pretty much BS.  We recently saw a local PD have a change in command and multiple officers left or were forced or encouraged to leave.  A lot of these were officers with 15 or more years of service and good service records.  Most of them were snapped up by the SO or other local PD's.        

Are you referring to LPD's issues? Back up isn't really an issue for me. I feel comfortable with my training and background. I have a specific and uncommon role based on my MOS that I want to fill in LE. I will also take up a second language which might be helpful as well. I get along with most (95%) of people I work with as well as mil/LEOs I have worked with in the past. SO is where I will most likely start after the academy. I'm open to moving/living in any area of Central FL with in 2 or 3 hours from Orlando.

No, not familiar with LPD's specific issues, just wanted to reference that PD's can have their share of issues too.  BTW, the back up issue was not meant as a dig at you, there are a lot of small PD's and SO's out there that work midnight shift with 2 or 3 guys on duty.  If your former military (I spent 9 years on active duty), if you can really look at the agencies and try to get on with the one you may see yourself being happy with long term, as it's good to get in with one that you believe may give you a career.  I got on in civilian LE at 28, so I really didnt want to jockey around agencies for several years.  Food or thought, most Fl SO's are state retirement, so if you did go from one SO to another SO in Florida, your retirement time goes with you.

I didn't know that about the retirement. It's 25 years...right? So, no matter which SO I move to it carries over?

Further food for thought, they (the legislature) are "reforming" the state retirement plan, but right now I believe you're vested in 8 years (might have changed or will change to 10 years soon), can retire at 25 years of service or age 55 to start collecting.  The formula is little weird, but basically is 3% per year of service based on the highest 5 years of pay.  I think the highest years has or will change.  At one time there was also an option to purchase some time based on military service (counts towards retirement but not seniority).  You also have the option of switching from a pension to an investment plan, which is what they want to try to mandate for new hires coming into the system.  That plan transfers between most SO's and state jobs.  So You could go from Deputy to Trooper to Fish and Wildlife Officer to Corrections Officer to FDLE Agent to Beverage Enforcement Agent to State Fire Marshall to Probation Officer to School Teacher and your time would count and follow you.  There's some Florida members here that can clarify any errors I made in explaining it.

ETA:
I know some military guys who did 20 or more AD, then got on with a job that had a state retirement (again most SO's and County governments participate in the state system).  So lets say they were 39 years old at the time they were hired.  Lets say they did 17 years and then said, you know what I'm 56 and I cant take the beatings like I did when I was younger.  They put in and retire.  So they are 56 years old with 17 years of service in the state retirement system (FRS).  It is my understanding that 17 years of service qualifies for a retirement as it is past the minimum time required for vesting.  Since your high risk (3%) you can retire at 25 years of service or age 55 (55 is not a mandatory retirement age BTW).  At 56 they can retire and start collecting based on 17 years at 3% per year is 51% of the salary formula they use to calculate the base for your retirement, which I know used to be the highest 5 years of pay in the number of years you were in the system .  You then have to look at what benefit you want to take (talking survivor benefit) that will effect what your draw is.  The guys that kill it are the ones that get in young, like 21 or 22 years old and can hit 30 plus years before even reaching 55.  Check with the agencies and see who is FRS (Florida Retirement System) and check them out on the web.

What are you referring to reference the part in red?

Also with larger departments (which SO usually are) you might have more opportunities for advancement but you also have lots more competition.  Around here the SO also have most deputies do time in jail, some can do 5-7 yrs in the jail before seeing patrol....all about who you know.  I would lean more towards PD personally.

As stated above the retirement is state funded and I'm older. So, I need to make sure if I transfer to another SO I keep my retirement. I have been on few SO ride a longs and most of them didn't have jail time. That will be a one of the factors in my decision making.

Deputy

/thread

????????

That's only for LE to know at this point and wont state to much about it on a public forum

So you are a special snowflake which doesn't need backup?

Good luck with your endeavor.

thanks

I'll never work for a SO for two reasons.  #1 You have an election every four years that can radically change the department.  #2 In my state you serve at the pleasure of the Sheriff.  You can be fired at anytime.  Sheriff can walk in and say your shoes aren't shined enough and hit the door.  Nothing you can do.

Can't you just find another SO job or go local if you do get fired?

So, you are saying that the PD has better job security?

Which is all fine and good, but remember you will still be the new guy and starting at the bottom.  One of our guys is a retired USAF missile officer who singlehandedly started our NIMS/ICS programs...while he was working midnight shift patrol.

I know...I have a lot to offer but also a lot to learn. I have no problems with that. I get along with 95% of the people I work with.  And, I have been the new guy many many times.

It depends on what state you're in and whether are not you have a union or a contract or if your department is civil service. There are many many PDs who are the same as the SOs Boomhower mentioned. Chiefs are appointed and can be gone at any time.

My benefits suit me fine, especially now in retirement. Just had a $40k surgery and only had to pay a $50 co-pay. Whew.

This.
Cool gear and training are rarely pensionable. Try and find someplace that has the toys, training, and the money..

Contract?  Meaning you renew your contract every few years?

Contract, pay &  promotion seem to be big factors.

Can you work for 2 agencies?

We would renegotiate our pay and benefits every few years or so. They've been without a contract for years now. I'm waiting for them to settle it so I can see if my monthly pension check goes up.
Our promotions were based on civil service exam up to Captain so you didn't have to kiss ass to get promoted.


No.

SO doesn't have contracts?

No idea, I was city PD with a union.

Every state is different
In our state we have civil service protections and are not at will employees
Another downside is that if you go from a SO to a PD, your retirement time does not transfer
If you go from PD to SO, your retirement time does transfer
It is an annoying double standard.
I know one Deputy from a nearby county who had 19 years in and got fired.
he was practically begging for another SO to hire him on to finish out his 20.
No one would touch him, so he wound up going with a PD and re-setting his pension clock to zero



If they'd ever SIGN it
We've been out of contract for over a decade and currently working 2008 pay scale




Many of us do
It is the only way smaller PDs can afford to have enough manpower around here

Since the OP is looking in Florida, a few things From FSS Chapter 30 "Sheriff's":

30.073 Appointment; probation; regular appointment.—
(1) A sheriff has exclusive power to appoint a deputy sheriff. However, a person may not be appointed as a deputy sheriff unless the person meets all qualifications set out in the Florida Statutes.
(2)(a) A person’s appointment as a deputy sheriff is not a regular appointment until the person has satisfactorily completed 12 consecutive months of probation.
(b) A deputy sheriff’s promotion to a higher rank within the agency is not a regular appointment to that rank until the deputy sheriff has satisfactorily completed 6 consecutive months of probation.
(c) If a deputy sheriff is unable to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position to which he or she is appointed or promoted due to a nonservice-connected disability or other justifiable cause, the period of probation may be extended by the amount of time the deputy sheriff is unable to perform his or her duties.
(3) At any time, the sheriff may terminate, with or without cause, the appointment or promotion of a deputy sheriff who has not completed probation.
(a) An appointment is terminated upon the receipt by the deputy sheriff of written notice, signed by the sheriff, advising the deputy sheriff of his or her termination from appointment.
(b) A promotion is terminated upon the receipt by the deputy sheriff of a written notice, signed by the sheriff, advising the deputy sheriff of his or her return to his or her previous regular appointment.
(4) A deputy sheriff who satisfactorily completes probation is considered regularly appointed to his or her position and is entitled to all the rights and privileges set forth in this act.
(5) A deputy sheriff covered by ss. 30.071-30.079, other than the undersheriff or chief deputy, who is regularly appointed to his or her position may not be terminated for lawful off-duty political activity or for a discriminatory reason.
(Pretty self explanatory)

30.074 Regular appointee status.—When a deputy sheriff to whom the provisions of this act apply has served for a period of 1 calendar year, such deputy sheriff shall have attained regular deputy status in the office of the sheriff. Any deputy who is required to serve a probationary period attendant to a promotion shall retain regular status in the office of the sheriff, but may be returned to his or her prior rank during such probationary period without the right of appeal. History.—s. 5, ch. 94-143; s. 1327, ch. 95-147.  (So once you serve your probation period, you have career protection.  Termination during probation is always a concern for deputies and police officers alike, and this is whay performance during probation is a huge deal)

30.078 Continuation of appointment after a change in sheriff.—When a newly elected or appointed sheriff assumes office, the incoming sheriff may not terminate the employment of any deputy sheriff covered by ss. 30.071-30.079 for lawful off-duty political activity or for a discriminatory reason. The incoming sheriff may replace deputy sheriffs assigned to managerial, confidential, or policymaking positions or part-time deputy sheriffs.
History.—s. 9, ch. 94-143; s. 4, ch. 95-155.  (In a nut shell, administrative staff and senior command staff and  part time deputies can be removed).  

As for a few other posts here:  
Some SO's are set up for collective bargaining, a lot aren't.  Generally, this this may be more prevalent the further south you go or the bigger the city/county are.  

It may be possible to work two agencies, but I'm not aware of any body doing it here, with the exception of a few guys who have gotten part time gigs at the federal courthouse as security through the USMS.  I'd worry more about getting on, completing probation and seeing what kind of scratch you can bring in through overtime or paid off-duty gigs.