SHERIFF'S OFFICE
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Erie County Sheriff's Department

Mission - History

It is generally accepted that the Office dates back historically to Anglo-Saxon England.

According to Anglo-Saxon custom, crimes were not only a crime against the victim, but against the entire community. The Anglo-Saxon kings expected all their subjects to keep good order, which they called keeping the peace.

It was the duty of the citizens themselves to see that the law was not broken, and if it was, to catch the offender. All males between the ages of 12 and 60 were responsible to carry out this duty. They were organized into "tythings" or groups of ten families. Each group of ten tythings was lead by a "reeve."

Under Alfred the Great, reeves were combined to form "shires" or counties. Each shire was headed by a reeve. For minor offenses, persons accused of a crime were brought before their local "folk moot." Persons accused of more serious crimes were taken before the "Shire Reeve" (keeper and chief of his county), who became known as the Sheriff.

In 1116 AD, King Henry I established a new penal code, which delegated the power to investigate crimes and make arrests.

By the year 1300, the Sheriff was the executive and administrative leader of the county. The Sheriff was also the head of the local military and charged with assuring that peace was maintained. The Sheriff also presided over the prisoners and the court.

When settlers colonized the New World, they took with them many of their governmental forms. When the first counties were established in Virginia in 1634, the Office of Sheriff in America began. By the time of the American Revolution, all of the colonies had Sheriffs.

Today, the Office of Sheriff is found in every state in the Union. Under Penns Charter of Libertie-April 25, 1682, King Charles II granted William Penn the tract of land or province called Pennsylvania. This document provided a foundation for governing the Commonwealth. Penns Charter of Libertie dictated the nomination and appointment of Sheriffs and granted commissions for the office. The office was constitutionally mandated by all five of Pennsylvania's Constitutions, in 1776, 1790, 1838, 1873, and 1967.

The Sheriff of today, like all other law enforcement officers, is faced with unprecedented challenges, and is an integral part of the American law enforcement system. Case law provides that although a Sheriffs primary responsibilities are to the courts, the Sheriff retains all arrest powers he/she had at common law and has authority to enforce the criminal laws as well as the motor vehicle laws of Pennsylvania.

The next page provides a chronology of the individuals elected as Sheriff of Erie County.