Why does the county sheriff traditionally manage the jail? It is far more cost-effective and safer for the population to have a county jail that accepts prisoners from the municipal police, so that there is not a need for multiple jails spread across the county.

County sheriffs are all required to complete a three-month training course in incarceration techniques; local police chiefs are not.

County taxpayers are responsible for funding jails under the U. S. Constitution.

The county owns the building in which the jail is located, so it makes sense for the sheriff to manage the jail population.