Sheriff

Special Note: Our holdings for the Sheriff’s Department are listed below, for more recent Sheriff’s Department’s records and/or certified records please contact the Sheriff’s Department. Their website can be found under the Agencies/Departments tab above.

A Brief History:

The office of sheriff was created in 1792 with the appointment of the first sheriff by the Northwest Territorial Governor St. Clair. In 1802 the Ohio Constitution changed the sheriff’s office from an appointed position to an elected post that serves a 2 year term. In 1805 the General Assembly further defined the duties of the sheriff’s office as: preserving the peace; acting as the custodian of the county jail; apprehending and incarcerating felons and traitors; enforcing election laws at the request of the board of elections and secretary of state; and to be present at all drawings of jurors and serving them notice. The 1850 constitutional delegates simply copied the duties and elective position of the sheriff’s office from the old constitution and pasted it into their new draft, which was adopted in 1851. The sheriff’s term was eventually extended to 4 years in 1936.    

Sheriff Function:

The duties of the Licking County Sheriff’s Office have remained widely unchanged since its creation, though additional responsibilities have been added. The responsibilities of the sheriff’s office include, but are not limited to, serving all warrants, writs, subpoenas and other orders issued by the various courts of Licking County as well as the governor and various state officials and boards. Moreover the sheriff’s office is charged with preserving the peace, acting as the custodian of the county jail; apprehending and incarcerating felons and traitors; and enforcing election laws at the request of the board of elections and secretary of state. The sheriff is required to attend juror selection, the court of common pleas, court of appeals, county court, and upon request probate court to ensure order is maintained throughout the proceedings. Additionally the sheriff is empowered to adjourn the court of common pleas if the judge fails to appear and the court of appeals if a quorum is lacking.     

Licking County Records & Archives Center Holdings:

Today the Licking County Records & Archives Center maintains the historic jail registers for the Sheriff’s Office. For more recent records from the Sheriff’s Office and/or certified records please contact the Licking County Sheriff’s Office (In the event of emergency dial: 911; Civil/Records Divisions Phone: 740-670-5541, 740-670-5583; Report Filing Phone: 740-670-5555).