Welcome to Night Vale Wiki
Advertisement

Sheriff Sam is the Sheriff of Night Vale. They used to temporarily not be the sheriff,[1] as Tamika Flynn convinced them to give her their badge (it was returned).[2] It is unknown what happened to the old sheriff.

They are the most prominent nonbinary character in the podcast.

Physical Appearance[]

Sam refuses to wear the sheriff's traditional mask or cape.[1] They instead wore a hat and jacket, but gave them to Tamika when she took their badge temporarily.[2] Sam later wears a cape and bandoliers.[3]

They are muscular[1] and wear makeup.[4]

Personality[]

Sam has a much more public persona than past sheriffs, giving press conferences and taking an active role in politics and crime-stopping. Cecil comments that it's unusual to know either the sheriff's name or face.[1]

Sam seems to excel in multiple forms of artistic expression including: modern dance[1], painting,[1] singing[5], whittling,[6][7] rhythmic gymnastics,[6] origami,[8] sculpture,[7][9] paper mache,[10] and the panflute[11]. Sam uses many of these as alternate forms of communication, regardless of how long this takes.[1][9]

Sam identifies as a trainspotter,[7] loves dogs,[9] and seem to favor using a shotgun.[8][10]

Sam is afraid of the following: vipers,[12] ghosts, pine trees, mice, earthquakes, floods, sunspots, night, daytime, action, inaction, contradictions, food poisoning, sand dunes, being afraid, faces, and the elderly.[13] They use shouting and making other people afraid as ways of dealing with their own fears [13].

Sam values secrecy but seems to be very bad at keeping it.[1][2][6][14]

Sam is suspicious and distrusting of the media[7][14] and has been known to threaten Cecil.[14][15] Sam always mispronounces Cecil's name despite being corrected.[7][14]

Sam is distrusting of people not from Night Vale.[1][5][9][10]

They are dating Jackie Fierro.[3]

History[]

Sam works closely with Mayor Cardinal, the City Council, and Tamika Flynn. Their political beliefs often align with City Council's and conflict with Mayor Cardinal's. While Sam and Mayor Cardinal are often in conflict over city finances, budgetary allotments, how to fight crime,[1][5][9] Sam states that she is a good mayor and there are some policies they agree on.[9]

Desert Bluffs[]

Sam strongly opposes Night Vale providing financial assistance to Desert Bluffs.[1][5] They suggest making former citizens wear flashing orange hats in an effort to identify them as outsiders.[1] Sam's opinion regarding former Desert Bluffs citizens led to them attempting to drive former Desert Bluffs citizens out of Night Vale without Mayor Cardinal's consent.[5]

The Beagle Puppy[]

A group of Strangers attacked Sam's inaugural press conference. Sam's life was saved by the angels.[1]

Mayor Cardinal permitted Sam to deal with the invasion of the Strangers how they saw fit,[6] leading to Sam and the City Council forming a plot to trap the Beagle Puppy in the Dog Park.[8] Despite their disdain for former Desert Bluffs citizens, Sam worked with members of the Joyous Congregation of the Smiling God on this plan.[8] While Sam ended up as one of the victims of the Beagle Puppy, they were later revived.[8] Sam and City Council believe their plan was what saved Night Vale.[8]

Sam formerly believed the Dog Park should be opened to both dogs and people, but after these events they changed their mind.[9]

The Heist[]

During the robbery of the Last Bank of Night Vale, negotiations break down and Sam resorts to physical force to free the hostages. This led to a brief shootout and a fire starting in the bank lobby. Sam was able to free the hostages, and while the robbers initially escaped they were eventually captured.[11] Sam denied the robbers of HBO access as a form of torture.[11][15]

Sam eventually arrests Steve Carlsberg and Carlos under suspicion of bank robbery,[15] however, Carlos is able to convince Sam of the evidence of their innocence.[16]

Delta 18713[]

Representatives from the National Safety and Transportation Bureau in Washington, DC, came to Night Vale to investigate the disappearance of flight 18713.[17] Sam was well aware of flight 18713 and, believing it to be a threat to Night Vale, had been lock anyone who knew about it up in the Night Vale Asylum.[18] Sam aided the NSTB representatives in an undercover mission to the Asylum in order to get more information.[19]

Sam attended a play at the Asylum (along with Warden Rainier, 3 Secret Police officers, 2 Overt Police Officers, an angel, Cecil, and Carlos) in order to meet up with those undercover. Unfortunately, the NTSB undercover agents had turned against Sam and aided in the escape of Doug Biondi. Doug latter led the people of flight 18713 from the desert otherworld into Night Vale.[20]

The Estate of Franklin Chen vs the City of Night Vale[]

The Sheriff's Secret Police were one of those found responsible for the death of Frank Chen, and thus were ordered to present a living Frank Chen to the Chen family.[21] In order to achieve this goal Sam tried the following:

  • Tried to resurrect Frank by magic.[22]
  • Used Frank Chen's genetic material to create several clones, then used genome manipulation to rapidly age them. This did not meet the court order.[23]
  • Worked with staff from the Museum of Forbidden Technologies to put together a time machine, retrieve Frank Chen from the moment right before his death, and bring him to the present time. This did not meet the court order.[24]
  • Stole a Frank Chen from a different timeline, one where he likes fedoras and only speaks Italian. This did not meet the court order and disrupted the current timeline.[25]
  • Acquired a grimoire from the bookstore on Wormwood Avenue and preformed one of the listed spell. This met the court order.[26]

Additional Achievements[]

Sam and the Secret Police were able to stop an escaped librarian.[27]

Sam temporarily arrested the man who is not tall and the man who is not short for murder.[28] Sam believes them to be part of some sort of mafia.[28]

Sam shot what was believed to be the Smiling God.[3]

Additional Mentions[]

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Episode 80 "A New Sheriff in Town"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Episode 114 "Council Member Flynn, Part 1"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 It Devours!
  4. Episode 116 "Council Member Flynn, Part 3"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Episode 83 "One Normal Town"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Episode 86 "Standing and Breathing"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Episode 91 "The 12:37"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Episode 90 "Who's a Good Boy? Part 2"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Episode 82 "Skating Rink"
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Episode 93 "Big Sister"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Episode 153 "The Heist, Part 1"
  12. Episode 168 "Secret Blotter"
  13. 13.0 13.1 Live show "Ghost Stories"
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Episode 88 "Things Fall Apart"
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Episode 154 "The Heist, Part 2"
  16. Episode 155 "The Heist, Part 3"
  17. Episode 159 "Cat Show"
  18. Episode 165 "Charlie"
  19. Episode 162 "Alpha"
  20. Episode 166 "Delta"
  21. Episode 177 "Bloody Laws, Bloody Claws: The Murder of Frank Chen"
  22. Episode 180 "U-View"
  23. Episode 186 "The Many Lives of Frank Chen"
  24. Episode 191 "The Many, Many Lives of Frank Chen"
  25. Episode 194 "The Nearly Infinite Lives of Frank Chen"
  26. Episode 197 "The Life of Frank Chen"
  27. Episode 115 "Council Member Flynn, Part 2"
  28. 28.0 28.1 Episode 130 "A Story About Us"
Advertisement