Art by Nigel Dobbyn of the Backwater Sheriff.
Sheriffs are solitary police officers, usually presiding over remote precincts in the United States. They are often seen with a gold star badge pinned to their lapel (although a swish cowboy hat is optional).
Two sheriffs have had important roles in the history of Sonic the Comic:
- A bovine sheriff rules over Backwater in the Great Mobian Prairie, aided by a deputy. This was once Deputy Krouch, but the lizard was fired after he was found to watch over a lynch mob hired to kill Knuckles the Echidna. The echidna took the role temporarily, helping the sheriff track down Rooster's attempted murder. After ensuring Rooster got back to his Apterix herd, the sheriff then concocted a plan that would trick Boss Krouch into confessing his plans to "Chito". When the plan unfolded, the sheriff chased after Krouch's man, leaving Krouch himself to Knuckles.
- On Planet Earth, an elderly sheriff officiated in a council in Kansas during the year of 1870. This human found himself at the mercy of outlaw Butch, but was rescued by travelling aliens Amy Rose and Tekno the Canary. Unfazed by their sudden appearance, he alerted the girls to the presence of robots further in the desert, sending Tekno to investigate before making Amy his deputy. During a confrontation between the heroes and Colonel Granite, the sheriff arrived in time to shoot the gun away from a soldier, giving the girls time to force their way back to Earth.