The UIHJ was represented at this convention by Sue Collins (USA) , member of the board of the UIHJ.
There is some debate as to just when the first Sheriff in America took office. Some research tells us that the first Sheriff was elected in Virginia in 1651, but most accounts agree that Americas first Sheriff was Lord William Baldridge, appointed in 1634 in Maryland as Sheriff of St. Mary's County.
Throughout the 3,143 counties in the United States, the Sheriffs perform a variety of duties in the service of the citizens of their respective counties. Whatever their duties might be, and regardless of their offices' priorities, the County Sheriff is, above all, the Chief Constitutional Law Enforcement Officer in the county.
A legal dictionary defined the Sheriff as "...a creature of law created by the sovereign power in the state for public purpose connected with the execution of the law and the administration of justice, as the agent of the body politic, to give effect to its sovereign and carry into effect its will. His office is a mere civil institution, established for public political purposes, and may be regulated or changed by society."
The office of Sheriff is an elected position, and in virtually all jurisdictions, the Sheriff is the only Law Enforcement Officer who is directly accountable to the public at large. Sheriff's are elected periodically throughout the United States, except in Alaska, Rhode Island and Hawaii.
The National Sheriff's Association (NSA) held their annual conference in St. Louis, Missouri, June 18-22nd, 2011. In attendance at this yearly convention were thousands of sheriffs from all over the United States, speakers who held seminars to educate and inform those sheriffs who were in attendance and many vendors and service providers with products for sale to help the sheriffs and their agencies conduct business.
The National Sheriffs' Association was chartered in 1940 and has its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The NSA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among sheriffs, their deputies, and others in the field of criminal justice and public safety so that they may perform their jobs in the best possible manner and better serve the people of their cities, counties or jurisdictions. The NSA joined the UIHJ in 2009 as an “Observer” member.
Sheriff's agencies in the United States have the authority and duty to enforce both criminal and civil actions. The sheriff is responsible for the handling of traffic accidents and tickets, managing the county's jails, the transportation of prisoners and security services in the courts. The service and enforcement of civil judgments are just a small part of the duties entrusted to the sheriffs. The sheriff of a county is an elected official and paid by the county government for which he is elected. The sheriff employs enough deputies and staff needed to handle all the work in his county.
The keynote speakers at this year's conference were: Bob Delaney, NBA referee and former New Jersey State Trooper, who went undercover against the Mafia; author of Covert, My Years of Infiltrating the Mob, and John R. "JV" Venable, the commander/leader of the USAF Flight Demonstration Team Thunderbirds 2000-2001. His speech was centered on high performance and team development.
Below is a list of seminar presentations given during the week of the convention:
-Media Relations: Be Prepared to Have a Good Relationship
-Prevention Corruption and Building Trust Within Your Sheriff's Office
-Improving the Public's Reporting of Suspicious Activity
-Power Speaking! Making It Memorable
-SAVIN - The Critical Role of Sheriffs in Providing Timely Notice to Crime Victims
-The Tradition Continues: A History of the Office of Sheriff
-Making the Media Work for You
-Reaching out to the Private Sector: Learning to Build Partnerships and Manage Your Workforce
This list is just a small sample of the many seminars and training sessions held for the benefit of the sheriff during the conference. The week also serves as a meeting venue for the 20 or more committees that serve the NSA. The committees are responsible for the internal workings, training and standards of the NSA and its members. The committees also serve to watch national trends in crime and law enforcement and recommend actions in fighting laws throughout the country that may be harmful to the office of the sheriff. They are also proactive in handling problems that arise affecting the sheriff's agencies, and coordinating with other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.
The annual conference is filled with activities for the attendees, as you can see. Speakers, seminars, committee meetings, executive meetings, dinners and fun. The Sheriffs come from every state in the United States to meet, discuss problems and successes and network with their peers. As if all of the above were not enough - there were also 500 vendors and service providers in attendance. These companies were all there to show the Sheriffs the merchandise, software, services and equipment available for their use. The vendor's room was filled with anything imaginable to ease the burden of the country's law enforcement officials.
The NSA holds two meetings each year. The Winter Conference is held each January and consists mainly of the official committees and a few seminars. The annual convention is held each summer, with an attendance surpassing several thousand sheriffs. The next Winter Conference is scheduled in Washington DC on January 18th -21st, 2012. The NSA Annual Conference next year will be held in Nashville, Tennessee from June 16th - 20th, 2012.
The official web site of the NSA is: http://www.sheriffs.org.
