A police officer works for a chief of police. A deputy works for a sheriff.

Police officers work in a police department, emphasis on the word department, as in another department of the city, like water and sewage. Deputies work in the sheriff’s office, a stand-alone office of government.

The big distinction: a chief of police is usually an appointed position; a sheriff is elected directly by voters. And that difference can set the tone for the whole workforce.

Read the whole article published by the Denver Post on January 19, 2018.