History and Functions
The Harford County Sheriff's Office - A Perspective
The Harford County Sheriff s Office is a progressive Maryland Law Enforcement agency, providing professional police, courts and correctional services to the citizens of Harford County. Having as its motto, Courage, Honor, and Integrity in the Pursuit of Justice, the Sheriff s Office has become an integral working part of the community, providing for the safety, health and well being of county residents.
History of the Sheriff in the United States
The office of sheriff, one of the oldest offices known to the common law system of jurisprudence, can trace its roots to the Saxons of England in 992 A.D. Research even suggests the presence of sheriffs during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldean king of Babylon. The name sheriff is derived from the old English title Shire meaning county, and reeve meaning the keeper. Over time, these two words combined to form the word sheriff. The office of sheriff came to America in the mid-17th century and most research agrees that America's first sheriff was Lord William Baldridge, appointed in 1634 in St. Mary's County, Maryland. Each of Maryland's twenty-three counties, and Baltimore City, have sheriff's offices. Whatever his or her duties might be, the county sheriff is, above all, the chief constitutional law enforcement officer of the county.
History of the Harford County Sheriff's Office
As a result of the act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1773, Baltimore County was divided into two counties. A new county, Harford, was created from the northeastern quadrant of the former Baltimore County. County Commissioners were appointed and authorized, and required to purchase four acres of land near Bushtown at the head of the Bush River. The land purchase was for the purpose of building a courthouse and prison in their new county. The actual formation of government for Harford County occurred on March 22, 1774, when Henry Harford sent his commission to the new County Seat at Harford Town. Thomas Miller was commissioned the first sheriff by the Right Honorable Henry Harford, Lord Proprietor of the Province. The first election for sheriff was in 1777, when John Taylor won over his opponent, George Bradford. Although duties have varied through the years, the Sheriff's Office's primary responsibilities have become maintaining law and order, investigating crime, apprehending criminals, custody of prisoners, serving the courts and posting notices of elections.
The Sheriff's Office initially began as a one-man operation. The sheriff was the king's man within the 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. Although the first sheriff was appointed in 1774, subsequent sheriffs were elected. Sheriffs served two-year terms until 1914 when they began serving four-year terms. The duties of sheriff throughout the United States vary both internally and externally, and from agency to agency. Depending on the region, some sheriff's offices provide only court and/or correctional services, while others provide law enforcement. The citizens of Harford County benefit from having a multi-service agency, which provides all three. Although patrol deputies are the most visible personnel of the Sheriff's Office, court services deputies and correctional officers from the Detention Center are critical components of this full-service agency.