Power of the Badge

Emily M. Farris is associate professor of political science and core faculty of comparative race and ethnic studies at Texas Christian University. She has been quoted or appeared in the New York Times, Vox, the Guardian, and the Atlantic. Mirya R. Holman is associate professor at the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. She is the author of Women in Politics in the American City and coeditor of Good Reasons to Run. Her work has been discussed in the New York Times, the Atlantic, and NPR.

• Foreword and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Power of the BadgeChapter One: Filling in an Incomplete History of SheriffsChapter Two: Electing SheriffsChapter Three: Sheriffs’ Authority as Elected OfficialsChapter Four: Inequality from Autonomy and AuthorityChapter Five: The Radicalization of County SheriffsChapter Six: Sheriffs, Inequality, and the Possibility of AccountabilityData and Methods AppendixResults AppendixNotesReferencesIndex

"The anomalous and isolated status of sheriffs is reflected in media coverage and academic research as well. Individual sheriffs like the notorious Joe Arpaio, former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, may gain significant local or even national attention, but consistent, systemic scrutiny is rare. So The Power of the Badge, a new book by political scientists Emily M. Farris and Mirya R. Holman, is long overdue."