County Sheriff

The Sheriff is the highest local police officer in the county and referred by the courts as the "Chief Law Enforcement Officer of His Bailiwick." The Sheriff is elected to a four year term in office.

Staff

The Sheriff's Office is currently comprised of 12 full time Deputy Sheriffs, an Administrative Assistant and 1 department clerk. In addition to this, there is an appointed Chief Deputy Sheriff. 

The Sheriff's Office is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for contact through the Venango County 911 Center, which dispatches the appropriate law enforcement agency for emergency calls.

Principle Duties

The principle duties of Sheriff's Office are as follows:

  • Conduct background checks as part of the process of issuing Licenses to Carry Firearms
  • Conduct personal property sheriff sales
  • Conduct Real Estate Sheriff Sales
  • Enforce court orders to assist other county agencies such as Children and Youth Services and the juvenile court system
  • Enforce the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code and Crimes Code
  • Investigate criminal acts taking place on county property, including assaults, burglaries and thefts
  • Onview arrest authorities (Deputy Sheriffs)
  • Perform courthouse/courtroom security
  • Serve all civil process issued through the Court of Common Pleas and the District Judges' Offices, and other county and state civil courts
  • Serve all warrants, including bench warrants, domestic relations warrants and district court warrants
  • Serve and enforce protection from abuse orders
  • Transport mentally ill patients by court order to other facilities
  • Transport prisoners on a routine basis and by court order

Clerical Staff Duties

In addition to the Deputy Sheriffs' duties, the clerical staff performs the following:

  • Conduct real and personal property sales
  • Issue Licenses to Carry Firearms, Licenses to Sell Firearms, and Licenses to Buy/Sell Precious Metals
  • Prepare all civil processes and returns of service, such as complaints, protection from abuse orders, mortgage foreclosures
  • Prepare all warrants for service
  • Prepare subpoenas and returns of service

Public Programming

Finally, the Sheriff conducts the following public safety programs:

  • Business security
  • Drug prevention
  • Firearms safety
  • Instruction in the use of Armament Systems and Procedures, Inc. (ASP) baton, oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, and other numerous police oriented seminars
  • Senior Citizen Protection