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ORANGE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE |
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History of the Sheriff
Those who work within the Sheriff’s Office are dedicated to
enforcing the law courteously and appropriately, without fear or favor malice or
ill will. Without employing unnecessary force or violence, with no compromise
for crime and with determination pursue the criminal element to prosecution.
The Office of Sheriff is one of antiquity. It is the
oldest law enforcement office known within an organized civilization. For the
most part the Office of Sheriff evolved of necessity. Were it not for laws
which require enforcing, there would have been no necessity for a Sheriff; this
is not the case however.
One of the earliest
mentions of the Sheriff was in the King James Version of the Holy Bible Daniel
3:2-3. Here the Sheriffs were supervisors for King Nebucazzer
of Babylon.
This reference, five thousand years ago was an office, which continued
throughout history.
Our English roots of the office of Sheriff began when
after the Norman conquest King Alfred the Great divided England into
Shires in 1066 AD. His appointments of “Rieves”or
overseers were appointed to manage the Shires on behalf of the king. During the next two centuries, the system of
administration and the shire was the forerunner of what later became a modern
day county. Thus the “keeper of the shire” a “Rieve”(chief law enforcer) became known as the “Shire Rieve”. Eventually the title was shorten
to Sheriff. At the same time the “Constable” acted as the Sheriff’s deputy and
keeper of the sheriff’s horse stables. A position which in
due course became law enforcement rank. During those early days Shireeves were called upon to maintain public order in the
Shires. While it may not be fully clear what all the functions of the Sheriffs
were, it is evident they were vested with the power of the King and authority
to keep the peace.
In the ninth and tenth centuries, the role and importance
of the Sheriffs became more obvious. The entire government constitutional,
economical, judicial and administrative development depended upon the Office of
the High Sheriff. The most ancient and longest continuous service to the Realm
and the Crown is the Office of High Sheriff. The Sheriff was Chancellor, Home
Secretary, Secretary of State Defense and Minister of Agriculture. The Sheriff
supervised and controlled the sovereignty for the King. In the early days,
Sheriffs had significant authority in the administration of law and order in
the Shires. Permanent armies were not established in Europe
until the 19th century. Before this, if an army was needed to defend
the country from invasion, it was gathered from among the general public.
Assembling an army in times of war was a responsibility of the Sheriffs of
England. In Halsbury’s Laws of England, one of
earliest collections stated, “the Sheriff was a
conservator of the King’s peace. It is the duty of the Sheriff to defend his
Country against invasion by the King’s enemies…” A perpetual police service did
not exist in England
till the mid 19th century. As a result the Sheriff was charged with
“…all authority to suppress unlawful assembly, and riot, to apprehend
offenders, to pursue and arrest felons and for that purpose may raise hue and
cry.” Halsbury’s Law also directed “.. Each citizen is legally bound in a County to be ready at
the command of the Sheriff and at the cry of the County to arrest a
felon.” The practice of a Sheriff
deputizing citizens to apprehend criminals was carried over to the colonies and
remains today in the tittle of a Sheriff’s employees,
Deputies, representatives of the Sheriff.
One of the first acts decided on by the pilgrims on
arrival at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
in 1633 was formation of a Sheriff/Constable for the settlement.
Thus into colonial days the Sheriff was a formidable
figure as hamlets and communities sprang up in the New
World. As colonial governments formed, the Sheriff became an
officer of the court, collector of public taxes and private levies, keeper of
prisons and public hangman. As chief arresting officer they were required to “.
Lay hands upon the accused, use all and sundry force to open
all doors and commandeer any person, any entity or enactment to
accomplish his commission.”
As the thirteen colonies became the United States,
so did its people fashion the Office of Sheriff to reflect the new government’s
design. North Carolina
in 1776 was one of many states, which established in their state constitution
the position of Sheriff.
A person elected by citizens instead of receiving
appointment by a King or Governor. In 100 counties of North Carolina, each Sheriff is elected to a
four year term. As duties vary from state to state, the Sheriff’s Office is
active in all three branches of the criminal justice system: law enforcement,
courts and corrections.
Since before the revolutionary war, the office of Sheriff
has been held in high esteem in the American public. George Washington’s father
was an early Sheriff In colonial Virginia. Thomas Jefferson wrote in
his constitutional assessments, “The office of Sheriff is the most important of all
executive offices of the country.”
In 1870 Grover Cleveland was elected Sheriff of Erie
County, New York. He campaigned on a platform of eliminating corruption in
county government. On assuming the office he revamped the operation of the
Sheriff’s Office. One instance, the Sheriff discovered the miller supplying
flour for the jail was providing the poorest quality and insect infested at top
quality prices. Sheriff Cleveland threw the flour out, threaten to arrest the
miller for defrauding the county; the problem was rectified. The Sheriff directed
the staff not to cheat in quality or quantity the food furnished the prisoners.
Of the many duties of Sheriff Cleveland, one that he did
not delegate was the public hanging of convicted criminals. In 1872 Sheriff
Cleveland on two specific occasions publicly executed men convicted of murder. By 1881 had been elected Mayor and later Governor of New York.
The year 1885 Cleveland became the 22nd
president of the United States
and by 1893 inaugurated 24th president of the United States. Cleveland was the only
man in history to serve two separate terms in the presidency.
Although the American Sheriff may not have the same
responsibilities as did the early King appointed Shireives,
he still holds the position of the People’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer in
the county, who is elected. The Sheriff’s duties have well expanded beyond
peace keeper or enforce the orders of the court. A modern day Sheriff has
numerous tasks and responsibilities that include but are not limited to:
Prisoner Transports
Detention Services
Civil Process
Violent Crime Investigations
School Resource Initiatives
Crime Prevention
Search & Rescue Functions
Community Policing
Drug Investigations
Traffic Enforcement
Cyber Computer
Crimes
Domestic Violence
Crime Scene Management
Orange
County was formed in
1752. It is named for the land grant holder William of Orange V of England. In
its initial composition consisted of what we now know as Orange, Alamance,
Durham, Chatham,
Caswell and Person counties. The eastern section of the county was what later became, Rockingham, Guilford,
Randolph and
portions of Lee and Wake counties. Likewise, the Orange County Sheriff’s
Office was established as one of the first acts of 1752. Given the size, it is little surprise
Hillsborough was the state capitol for years. Because of its central location, Orange County
found itself to be a massive political landmark. With the climate, healthful
forests and water, many landowners set homestead along the Flat, Haw, Eno and Little rivers of Orange County.
Hillsborough’s location and town were located on the Trading Path of Indians
and frontiersmen working their way west.
As the beginning of the Revolutionary war approached Hillsborough
developed into a pivotal location in the state of North Carolina and the southeast. In April
1778, as tensions grew among locals over a British influence tempers exploded.
Citizens angrily defied the Sheriff of Orange County and fired bullets into the
home of the county registrar. Soon after the War of the Regulators erupted and
concluded with the Battle of Alamance. Regulators
considered enemies of the state were returned to Hillsborough and after a brief
trial, were hanged by the Sheriff off St. Mary’s Road.
Nothing meant more to Orange
County than what occurred October 12,
1793 when the cornerstone for the first state supported university was laid in Chapel Hill.
The University
Of North Carolina
celebrates its 214th year of existence in October of 2007.
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