History of the Sheriff's Office

  • The "Constitutional Sheriff" is not in the Constitution! The Office of Sheriff comes from Common Law (Edwin the Elder, 902 AD), from County Charters, and from some state Constitutions
  • "Sheriff", comes from "Shire Reeve": an official responsible for keeping the peace on behalf of the King[bib]158[/bib]
    • In common law, "Conservators of the Peace" include the judges, sheriff, police, and constables (note Delaware dispute)
    • In US, Sheriff's elected rather than appointed by the King
    • The highest elected law enforcement officer (often the only); except St. Louis County, MO
    • Deputies or "Sheriff's Officers" are commissioned by and act on behalf of Sheriff
    • Originally, Sheriffs "held court" to try local offenses; this went away with the development of the medieval Circuit Court system, split into Sheriff, Magistrate, and the first jury trials
  • Sheriff is an "office", not a "department"; answers directly to the citizenry