Tennessee Code Annotated

Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-3-102 (2026)

Duties of sheriff

✓ current as of May 2026

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(a) The sheriff is the principal conservator of the peace in the sheriff's county. It is the sheriff's duty to suppress all affrays, riots, routs, unlawful assemblies, insurrections, or other breaches of the peace, to do which the sheriff may summon to such sheriff's aid as many of the inhabitants of the county as such sheriff thinks proper.

(b) It shall be the duty of the sheriffs, in their respective counties, by themselves or deputies, to patrol the roads of the county, to ferret out crimes, to secure evidence of crimes, and to apprehend and arrest criminals.

Code 1858, § 4933; Shan., § 6894; Code 1932, § 11418; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 38-202; Acts 2005, ch. 142, § 2.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 9 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1996–2022 · leading case: Daniel Renteria-Villegas v. Metro. Gov't of Nashville & Davidson Cnty., 382 S.W.3d 318 (Tenn. 2012).

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Daniel Renteria-Villegas v. Metro. Gov't of Nashville & Davidson Cnty., 382 S.W.3d 318 (Tenn. 2012). · cites it 6× “Tennessee Code Annotated section 38-3-102 (2010) is among the code sections listed, and it provides (a) The sheriff is the principal conservator of the peace in the sheriffs county.”

Cantrell v. DeKalb Cnty., 78 S.W.3d 902 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2001). · cites it 2× “Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 38-3-102, -108 (1997). They were met at the church by the pastor and two members of the church who told them unequivocally that Mr.”

William Dorning, Sheriff of Lawrence Cnty., Tennessee v. Ametra Bailey, Cnty. Mayor of Lawrence Cnty., Tennessee (Tenn. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 6× “; see also Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-3-102 (2002). The trial court entered its order in the present case on September 3, 2004, therefore, the statutory amendments are not applicable to the present case.”

State of Tennessee v. Christopher Calvera (Tenn. Crim. App. 2019). · cites it 2× “” Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 38-3-102 (b), 41-4-101.”

Allison Haynes v. Perry Cnty., Tennessee (Tenn. Ct. App. 2022). · cites it 2× “Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-3-102 (b) (2014). This duty is heightened when the complaint involves domestic abuse.”

Reid v. Lee (M.D. Tenn. 2022). · cites it 2× “A county law enforcement agency has a general statutory duty “to patrol the roads of the county, to ferret out crimes, to secure evidence of crimes, and to apprehend and arrest criminals,” Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-3-102 (b), but nothing about the language of that statutory duty or…”

Jordan v. Lee (M.D. Tenn. 2022). · cites it 2× “A county law enforcement agency has a general statutory duty “to patrol the roads of the county, to ferret out crimes, to secure evidence of crimes, and to apprehend and arrest criminals,” Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-3-102 (b), but nothing about the language of that statutory duty or…”

William Cantrell v. DeKalb Cnty. (Tenn. Ct. App. 1996). · cites it 2× “Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 38-3-102 , -108 (1997).”

Glenda Cooper v. State, 106 S.W.3d 688 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2003). “§ 38-3-102 (1997)), and that “the overall duties of the office of sheriff, which are defined by statute, are largely applicable within the sheriffs county.”

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