Sheriff

In general, it is the duty of the office of the sheriff

• to execute and return the processes and orders of the courts;
• to attend all sessions of the superior court and all sessions of the probate court whenever required by the judge;
• to be present on election days at all election locations from the opening to the closing of the polls;
• to publish sales, citations, and other proceedings as required by law and to keep a file of all newspapers in which the official advertisements appear;
• to keep an execution docket for entering a description of all executions received, the dates of their delivery, and the actions taken on them;
• to keep a book which contains a record of all sales made by process of the court or by agreement under the sanction of the court and which describes the property and the process under which sold, the date of the levy and sale, the purchaser, and the price;
• to receive from the preceding sheriff all unexecuted writs and processes and proceed to execute them and to complete other unfinished duties; and
• to serve as the county jailor.

(quoted from: Hudson, Betty and Hardy, Paul, Handbook for Georgia County Commissioners. Athens: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia, 2002, p. 64.)