Anyone have info on how a Sheriff's Dept operates?

Anyone have info on the operations and inner workings of a Sheriff's Department?

This is in the U.S., in Michigan to be specific. I'm loosely modeling the department on two real departments in the state. One of them is the largest in the state with 1,200 employees. The other is a little smaller, but probably still one of the top 5 in terms of size. Both have multiple departments/divisions including patrol/investigations/jail/marine/SWAT, etc.

I need to figure out what level my character should be. He is investigating a double homicide of two teenage girls. I'm assuming he'd be an investigator, but what kind of seniority and rank, etc, should he have?

In a department that size how many layers of leadership would their be between him and the Sheriff? Would he report to a Lt., who reports to the Undersheriff? Or would there be more (or fewer) levels of management?

I'm eventually going to try to do an interview with the Sheriff or another representive from at least one of the departments to get a better view of how the department operates and handles investigations. But, right now, some basic background would be enough.

I could especially use info on how they'd interact with other local law enforcement and how this might change if/when a new Sheriff takes over.

Also, in the story there would be a city PD where the bodies are found, but they are woefully underfunded (city is near bankruptcy) and don't have the experience or resources of the Sheriff's Dept. What is a realistic way to have the investigation transfered or taken over by the Sheriff's Dept instead of the city PD. Can they simply request the assistance? Is there a way the dept could "bigfoot" their way into the investigation because the girls are from two different parts of the county? Or could their be some gentleman's arrangement or even "backroom deal" to get the Sheriff's Dept involved.

I do want to keep the city PD in play, at least at the start, as a few plot points hinge on some conflict between the city cops and the Deputy/Investigator who takes over. (That's way I'm not having it occur in an unincorporated area where the Sheriff would have sole jurisdiction).

Also, any insights into politics within a large Sheriff's Dept woudl be helpful.

Lastly, politics generally play more of a roll in sheriff's depts than municipal depts. That's mainly because the sheriff himself is a political entity. He needs to get elected every so often and so he has people around him to make sure that happens... like cronies?

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This is one of the points I'm hoping that someone will worked at a Sheriff's Dept can help me with. I want to really get a feel for the types of internal and external politics and that's precisely the type of info I don't think the PIO at the Dept's I plan to talk to will help me much with.

Believe me, I do know that a Sheriff's Dept is the most politicized postition in law enforcement. I actually covered a trial where the Sheriff was sued by several high ranking officers after he demoted for supporting his opponent in an election.

I do have a general understanding of the functions of a department and the departments/jail, etc. I didn't know or think about the connection with the prosecutor's office and that's helpful.

I'm not looking for a "conspiracy" to get the case transfered, just something realistic and something that could generate some hard feelings between certain city PD officers and the Sheriff's investigator. Much of that can be personality driven, but I need something that can be a little broader than that as well.