THE POLITICS OF THE TEXAS SHERIFF:
FROM FRONTIER TO BUREAUCRACY

by JAMES G. DICKSON
1st edition, 68 pages, $10.95
ISBN 978-0-89641-131-9 

This essay sketches the politics of the office of county sheriff in Texas. The framework is developmental, depicting the sheriff as a major object and instrument of change, a pivotal participant in the state's law enforcement pattern, and the focal point of government for a large portion of the population. The sheriff is primarily a custodial management and political off, but it is noticeably evolving toward a more technically neutral, professional law enforcement entity. The sheriff preserves a uniquely intimate relationship with political constituents within an historical continuity of development that is nearly a thousand years old. The book outlines they historical origins of the sheriff, its institutional dynamics (including the human dimension, as well as organizational attributes), and the rural-urban metamorphosis that the office is experiencing. An attempt is made to portray the unmistakable evolution of this office from the old two-fisted, two-fun days into a modern, technologically sophisticated professional.

Contents

Chapter 1: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE OFFICE

Chapter 2: INSTITUTIONAL DYNAMICS OF THE TEXAS SHERIFF

Chapter 3: A DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE TEXAS SHERIFF

Chapter 4: THE POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF THE TEXAS SHERIFF

Chapter 5: THE HUMAN DIMENSION OF THE OFFICE

Chapter 6: CONCLUDING OBSEDRVATIONS

SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL READINGS

About the Author

James G. Dickson, Jr., is currently a Professor in the Department of Political Science and Geography at Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. His previous positions include Instructor of Political science at Odessa College, Odessa, Texas, and instructor of Political Science at Howard County College in big Spring, Texas. He received his B.A. and M.A. from North Texas State University and his PH.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He was awarded the American Political Science Association Internship in State and Local Government in 1969 and was chosen Outstanding Teacher in 1972.