Virginia Constitution
Article VII, Section 4 of the Constitution of Virginia provides that each county and city in the Commonwealth shall have a sheriff elected by the qualified voters of the county and city sheriffs are elected for 4-year terms and may be re-elected at the end of each term.
About the Office
The Sheriff is elected by the citizens of the City of Falls Church every 4 years. The Sheriff is referred to as a constitutional officer because his office is specifically established by the Constitution of Virginia.
He is under the direction of the State Compensation Board. Their mission is to determine a reasonable budget for the participation of the Commonwealth toward the total cost of office operations for Constitutional Officers, and to assist those officers and their staff through automation, training and other means, to improve efficiencies and to enhance the level of services provided to the citizens of Virginia.
Services
The Falls Church Sheriff's Office provides court security and prisoner transportation in addition to serving civil warrants and legal notices, as mandated by the Virginia Constitution and the Virginia Code. The office works in conjunction with the Falls Church Police Department in the performance of law enforcement functions including the issuance of traffic summonses, traffic control, special events, and training exercises. The Sheriff's Office also provides child safety seat inspections, and fingerprinting, by appointment only.