Iowa Sheriff

Do all counties require that the Sheriff's office have a Sheriff AND a Deputy?

I'm writing a screenplay that takes place in a very, very small town. I need the sheriff for a character, but my story would be easier if there was no deputy. So, does anyone know if the law requires a small town to have a deputy as well? I'm thinking somewhere in the South. Maybe the town is so small, that the sheriff doesn't need a deputy. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. No. There only needs to be one sheriff (though, for the county. not for a town). If the population requires more than one, then all others would be "deputies". But you don't need deputies to be a sheriff.
2. Who cares none of them do anything anyway, but waste tax payers money!
3. There is no legal requirement to have a certain amount of deputies. As a general rule, there is one law enforcement officer for every 500 citizens, so realistically it would have to be a pretty small county. However, it is your story so you can do whatever you want!
4. There is no law requiring it, but your county better be pretty freaking small in order for it to stay believable.