I described elected sheriffs, but, if you feel that police "local murder squads", I don't know what to tell you. The core issue is they are paid your tax doll

I described elected sheriffs, but, if you feel that police "local murder squads", I don't know what to tell you. The core issue is they are paid your tax dollars, but you have very little input or control on what and how they do, and municipalities in general rely on the fact that moving away is high friction to retain citizens. Unfortunately you cannot easily fire them, if they underperform.