While some historians maintain that the Office of Sheriff derives from either the Roman proconsul, or the Arab Sharif, (nobleman), it is generally accepted that the Office goes back historically to Anglo-Saxon England, (A.D. 500-1066). 

Under Anglo-Saxon rule it was the duty of the citizens themselves to see that the law was not broken, and if it was, to catch the offenders.  All of the males in the community between the ages 12 and 60 were responsible for this duty.  They were organized in groups of about ten families, and each group was called a "tything":  At their head was a "thythingman."  Each member of the tything was held responsible for the good behavior of the others.  Ten tythings were led by a "reeve." 

Under Alfred the Great, (A.D. 871-901), reeves began to be combined, forming "shires" or counties.  Each shire was led by a reeve. 

For minor offenses, people accused of crimes were brought before the local "folk moot."  More serious cases went to the "Shire Court" which came under the "shire reeve," (meaning "keeper and chief of his county"), who came to be known as the Sheriff. 

In A.D. 1116, King Henry I established a new penal code.  While the Crown reserved to itself the power to punish for violations of the penal code, it delegated to the Sheriff the power to investigate and arrest. 

When settlers left England to colonize 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.  When the American frontier began to move westward, so did the Sheriff.  The 19th century was the golden age of the American Sheriff, with characters like Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, and Texas John Slaughter becoming a colorful part of American history. 

Today, the office of Sheriff is found in every state in the Union.  The Office of Sheriff was brought to the colony which would become the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Dutch and English colonists before the time of William Penn.  The Office was constitutionally mandated by all five of Pennsylvania's Constitutions, in 1776, 1790, 1838, 1873 and 1967.    Today, the Sheriff, like all law enforcement officers, is faced with unprecedented challenges. But if history is a guide, there is little question that the Office of Sheriff will adapt, grow, and change to meet the needs of modern law enforcement.    The Office of Sheriff is an integral part of the American law enforcement system; a descendant of an ancient and honorable tradition.