The Office of Sheriff is one of antiquity. In the 9th Century Alfred the Great was able to
consolidate Anglo-Saxon England as a unified kingdom. Under Anglo-Saxon rule it was
the duty of the citizens themselves to see that the law was not broken , and if it was, it was
their duty to catch the offender. All males in the community between the ages of 12 and 60
were responsible for this duty.
The families were eventually organized into groups of ten, called a tything. At their head
was a "tythingman". Each member of the tything was responsible for the good behavior of
all other members. Ten tythings were lead by a chief called the "reeve". Under Alfred the
Great, tythings were combined to form geographic units called "shires" (counties). Each
shire was then lead by the chief called a reeve.
In 1116 AD, King Henry I established a new penal code. While the Crown reserved the
right to punish violations of the penal code, it delegated to the shire reeve ( keeper and
chief of the county) the power to arrest and investigate crimes against the Crown.
"Shire reeve" evolved to Sheriff and the office is the only viable office remaining of the
ancient offices,and the Sheriff's contemporary responsibilities as conservator of the peace
has been greatly influenced by modern society. As the crossbow gave way to the flintlock
the Sheriff is not unaccustomed to change. Law enforcement today is faced with complex
rapid changes in methodology, technology and social attitudes and the Office has evolved
with the times.
The office of Sheriff was the first county office established in the Americas and many
colorful Americans have held the office, to include George Washington's father, Augustine,
Sheriff of Westmoreland County in Colonial Virginia, "Wild Bill" Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Bat
Masterson, Pat Garrett and Bill Tilghman. President Theodore Roosevelt served as a
Deputy Sheriff in the Dakota Territories and President Grover Cleveland is the only
President known to have personally hanged a man...while serving as the Sheriff of Erie
County New York!
The Hodgeman County Sheriff's Office dates back to 1879 with the appointment of the first
Sheriff, George M. Curtis, to be the chief law enforcement of the newly organized county.
The current Sheriff, Ron Ridley, was first appointed by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in June
2006 and was then elected as Sheriff in November 2008. He is the 31st individual to hold
the office in its 130 year history, and will serve until January 2013.
consolidate Anglo-Saxon England as a unified kingdom. Under Anglo-Saxon rule it was
the duty of the citizens themselves to see that the law was not broken , and if it was, it was
their duty to catch the offender. All males in the community between the ages of 12 and 60
were responsible for this duty.
The families were eventually organized into groups of ten, called a tything. At their head
was a "tythingman". Each member of the tything was responsible for the good behavior of
all other members. Ten tythings were lead by a chief called the "reeve". Under Alfred the
Great, tythings were combined to form geographic units called "shires" (counties). Each
shire was then lead by the chief called a reeve.
In 1116 AD, King Henry I established a new penal code. While the Crown reserved the
right to punish violations of the penal code, it delegated to the shire reeve ( keeper and
chief of the county) the power to arrest and investigate crimes against the Crown.
"Shire reeve" evolved to Sheriff and the office is the only viable office remaining of the
ancient offices,and the Sheriff's contemporary responsibilities as conservator of the peace
has been greatly influenced by modern society. As the crossbow gave way to the flintlock
the Sheriff is not unaccustomed to change. Law enforcement today is faced with complex
rapid changes in methodology, technology and social attitudes and the Office has evolved
with the times.
The office of Sheriff was the first county office established in the Americas and many
colorful Americans have held the office, to include George Washington's father, Augustine,
Sheriff of Westmoreland County in Colonial Virginia, "Wild Bill" Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Bat
Masterson, Pat Garrett and Bill Tilghman. President Theodore Roosevelt served as a
Deputy Sheriff in the Dakota Territories and President Grover Cleveland is the only
President known to have personally hanged a man...while serving as the Sheriff of Erie
County New York!
The Hodgeman County Sheriff's Office dates back to 1879 with the appointment of the first
Sheriff, George M. Curtis, to be the chief law enforcement of the newly organized county.
The current Sheriff, Ron Ridley, was first appointed by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in June
2006 and was then elected as Sheriff in November 2008. He is the 31st individual to hold
the office in its 130 year history, and will serve until January 2013.
HISTORY OF THE OFFICE OF SHERIFF
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