Over the last few months, Sussex County Sheriff Jeff Christopher has assailed his fellow county officials for overstepping their authority, proclaimed that God has brought him to his post to "fight for what is right" and declared that his job is a bulwark against tyranny.

His rhetoric places him in the company of a small but growing number of conservative county sheriffs who see themselves as the ultimate enforcers of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, The News Journal has found.

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The so-called constitutional sheriffs' movement will reach a key point this week at its inaugural conference in Las Vegas, which Christopher plans to attend. About 115 sheriffs have registered for the event, headlined "No Sheriff Left Behind."

The project is spearheaded by former Arizona sheriff and tea party proponent Richard Mack, who gained national attention from a 1997 Supreme Court case he brought over enforcement of part of the Brady Bill gun-control law.