New Jersey
New Jersey's 21 sheriffs are constitutional officers (N.J. Const.
Art. VII § 2) but operationally confined to court security, civil
process, and warrant execution. Actual law-enforcement patrol and
criminal investigation falls to municipal police or, in some
counties (Hudson, Essex, Middlesex historically), a separate County
Police Department; criminal oversight is conducted by the
state-appointed County Prosecutor. NJ A3441 / S2943 (2024), which
would authorize local civilian review boards, remains pending in
committee and explicitly covers "municipal police forces" — county
sheriffs are not named.
Sheriff oversight
0/21 counties with a dedicated body
0 reports from those bodies
Other oversight
0 Civil Grand Jury reports
0 statewide oversight reports
Compare costs
Compare New Jersey sheriff departments side by side
Population, budget, $ per resident, staffing, and jail capacity across all 21 counties.
Counties
| # | County | Status (date) | Started (date) | LE capability | Independence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Atlantic | — | — | — | — | |
| 02 | Bergen | — | — | — | — | |
| 03 | Burlington | — | — | — | — | |
| 04 | Camden | — | — | — | — | |
| 05 | Cape May | — | — | — | — | |
| 06 | Cumberland | — | — | — | — | |
| 07 | Essex | — | — | — | — | |
| 08 | Gloucester | — | — | — | — | |
| 09 | Hudson | — | — | — | — | |
| 10 | Hunterdon | — | — | — | — | |
| 11 | Mercer | — | — | — | — | |
| 12 | Middlesex | — | — | — | — | |
| 13 | Monmouth | — | — | — | — | |
| 14 | Morris | — | — | — | — | |
| 15 | Ocean | — | — | — | — | |
| 16 | Passaic | — | — | — | — | |
| 17 | Salem | — | — | — | — | |
| 18 | Somerset | — | — | — | — | |
| 19 | Sussex | — | — | — | — | |
| 20 | Union | — | — | — | — | |
| 21 | Warren | — | — | — | — |