Heck Tate is the town's sheriff and though he seems to be ineffectual at times, even a complete bumbler in some cases, in the end, he does seem like someone who does serve a moral cause in the town. He is not about to let an innocent man be hurt, or a terrible man be exonerated and celebrated as a hero. His overall goal is to keep the peace and to make sure that the most harm is kept from the most people on any given day...even if he has to bend the rules and fabricate the truth sometimes. He does it to protect the people in his town.