What's the difference between a cop and a police officer?

We here in Painesville have both a municipal police and a Lake County Sheriffs office. We see a lot of police officers and sheriffs. The sheriff patrils all of the county and are often running speed traps on the interstates. read more

Cop is just a slang word for police officer. Sheriff is the highest law enforcement officer elected within a county or parish. The only law enforcement that outranks him is federal or in some instances state level law enforcement. This is how Texas is structured, at any rate. read more

Key difference: A police officer is a government official, who looks after the law enforcement in a specific city, municipality, town or village. The term ‘cop’ is slang which is used to refer to a police officer. read more

The precise differences between a sheriff and a police officer vary slightly from state to state, which can lead to confusion. The word “sheriff” derives from the Old English concept of a “shire reeve,” a man who looked out for the interests of the King in a shire, or district, of England. read more