sentences:  In the past, the prefect was head of the department, but since 1982, the president of the departmental council has assumed the role of chief executive of the department.There is an exception in Paris (Île-de-France) and its three surrounding departments (Petite Couronne).These departments are administered by a single prefecture for law enforcement and security purposes, called the Prefecture of Police (), a situation inherited from the Paris Commune of 1871.