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<p> <br>
The
Office of Sheriff is not new. It is among the oldest and most respected
of offices to be found in modern civilization. In fact, the Sheriff
has been a part of our lives for more than a thousand years. They
are easily traceable back to their roots in the Saxons of England
in 992 A.D..<br>
The
name Sheriff actually derives from the old English title "Shire
Reeve." The reeve was the "king's man" within a shire,
a small community of about one hundred families. His duty was to
maintain order while enforcing the king's will along with that of
the court.<br>
Sheriff's
have been Office holders for over 1000 years and are one of the
oldest known to British Common Law. In 1632, King Charles I, granted
Maryland the power to appoint law enforcement officers.<br>
The
importance and authority of the Sheriff was firmly and permanently
established upon the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 by the despotic
King John. In England, the office was an appointed and often expensive
one. Charged with collecting taxes and fines on the king's behalf,
the Sheriff was held personally responsible to the crown for amounts
which went unpaid. As a result, the position of Sheriff wasn't always
the most sought after by qualified individuals.<br>
The
office of Sheriff crossed the ocean with the colonists upon the
opening of the New World in the middle of the 17th century.<br>
Their
is some debate as to just when the first Sheriff in America took
office. Some research tells us that the first Sheriff was elected
in Virginia in 1651, but most accounts agree that Americas first
Sheriff was Lord William Baldridge, appointed in 1634 here in Maryland
as Sheriff of St. Mary's County.<br>
By the
time the colonies of the New World were united a century later,
the Sheriff was no longer appointed. He was elected.<br>
Throughout
our country, Sheriffs perform a variety of duties in the service
of the citizens of their respective counties. Whatever their duties
might be, and regardless of their offices’ priorities, the County
Sheriff is, above all, the Chief Constitutional Law Enforcement
Officer in the county.<br>
A legal
dictionary defined the Sheriff as "…a creature of law created
by the sovereign power in the state for public purpose connected
with the execution of the law and the administration of justice,
as the agent of the body politic, to give effect to its sovereign
and carry into effect its will. His office is a mere civil institution,
established for public political purposes, and may be regulated
or changed by society."<br>
The
office of Sheriff remains an elected position in Maryland and elsewhere,
and in virtually all jurisdictions, including some city jurisdictions,
including Baltimore. The Sheriff is the only Law Enforcement Officer
who is directly accountable to the public at large. Sheriff's are
elected periodically throughout the United States, except in Alaska,
Rhode Island and Hawaii.<br>
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<p align="center"><img src="sheriff.gif" width="59" height="17"><br>
A time honored Profession dedication to Protecting, Assisting and
Serving Citizens.</p>
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