In most places a sheriff is paid less than a regular police officer.
Sheriffs are usually higher up than a regular police officer is and has more jurisdiction and so it would seem that a sheriff would get a higher salary than a police officer.
But that is usually not the case although it should be.
Police officers earn around $35,020.00 and $100,610.00 annually and sheriffs earn around $35,000.00 to $70,000.00 per year.
It's a backwards way of paying them because if you're higher up in position and have more responsibilities than a regular police officer then it would be best to pay the sheriff more.