Can County Sheriffs Legally Stop You In Mass.?

Berkshire County Sheriff Tom Bowler had a chance to sit down with us on "Slater and Marjo In The Morning" to talk about some great job opportunities within Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction last month.

On an unrelated note, I was traveling down Rte. 8 when I noticed I was being badly tailgated. Now, I can be known to tailgate slower drivers, but I was certainly not going slow. This guy either had an emergency his hands or he was just a being a jerk.

Ironically, as soon as I pulled over to the right, he came screaming past me only to be pulled over about 30 seconds later. Of course, I felt immediate vindication. I had nothing to do with him being pulled over, I just felt satisfied I guess as he was really making me mad for following so closely.

So, here's the thing. The cruiser that pulled him over after the tailgating driver was spotted, was a Sheriff's office vehicle. I was a little perplexed as I had never seen this before.

Can The Sheriff's Office Legally Pull You Over In Massachusetts? Arrest You?

Naturally, I had to ask Bowler the deal with this type of thing. In fact, any Sheriff or Deputy Sheriff in Massachusetts absolutely legally can pull you over and/or arrest you if the situation calls for it. It's not the primary role of the Sheriff's office, of course, but they do have and can exercise those powers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

I hope you found this post informative.