The state Supreme Court says when sheriff’s deputies commit negligence while doing their job, it is the county sheriff who faces liability and not the county.
The opinion stems from a lawsuit filed against Maricopa County after a sheriff’s deputy driving a county-owned vehicle rear ended another driver in 2021.
The Arizona Supreme Court says a claim should have been made against the sheriff because the accident occurred when the deputy was carrying out the duties of a law enforcement officer. Those are set by the state Legislature, not a county, which can only fiscally supervise an elected sheriff.
The high court also says it's adopting a basic principle that counties won’t be held responsible for work the sheriff is legally required to do but the county did not order.
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