Delaware

Delaware's three sheriffs (New Castle, Kent, Sussex) are civil-process officers only. A 2012 statute (HB 325) codified the limitation on sheriff powers, and the Delaware Supreme Court upheld it in Christopher v. Sussex County (2013), confirming that "sheriffs and their deputies are not law enforcement officers in the state of Delaware." Because Delaware sheriffs have no general arrest or patrol authority, civilian oversight of sheriffs is structurally out of scope here. New Castle County's Police Accountability Board (2023) covers the New Castle County Police Department, not the Sheriff's Office.