By Monty Hight
Posted: July 02, 2011
Q: Growing up, the only marshals I ever heard of were Marshal Dillon of "Gunsmoke" and Marshal Micah Torrance in the "Rifleman." I never really understood what the difference was between them and let's say Sheriff Roy Caffee from "Bonanza."
A: In the Old West, the powers of the sheriff and those of a marshal often overlapped and at times became blurred. Some towns had sheriffs, others had marshals. Some sheriffs were appointed by counties — so they would be county sheriffs — but didn't have jurisdiction in any towns within them. The peace officer appointed/elected by the town was the final word on law enforcement within town limits.
So who outranks whom? Any peace officer appointed by the federal government or judicial system has the most sweeping powers. A U.S. marshal can go anywhere and do virtually anything in his or her pursuit of a felon.
Here in Shasta County we have the Shasta County Marshal's Office, which is the law enforcement arm of the Superior Court. Just like the rest of the various law enforcement agencies, there is a guy at the top, and in Shasta County's case it is Marshal Joel Northrup.
The mission of the marshal's office is to provide professional law enforcement services to the court and the citizens of Shasta County. It provides law enforcement services in a prompt, efficient, impartial and highly ethical manner.
It is the marshal's office's responsibility to maintain the safety and dignity of court proceedings and maintain the safety and security of court facilities and personnel. It investigates threats and provides protection for judicial officers. The marshal's office enforces court orders, warrants of arrest and California law. Its also assists and supports allied law enforcement agencies.
In addition, the marshal's office transports incarcerated defendants to and from the courts and provides protective services as needed for the members of the court.
Each year the Shasta County Marshal's Office makes between 300 and 500 warrant arrests and between 50 and 100 fresh arrests.
There are currently approximately 29 sworn officers within this department, and they are very active in the Anti-DUI AVOID campaigns.
For the most part, the only time that many of us have a chance to interact with the marshals is when we are trying to enter the courthouse and we are stripping down to our boxers to keep those bells and whistles from going off.
The fact that we really don't hear too much about our marshal's office is really pretty simple: The marshals do a great job at what they do and make it safer for all of us.
One of the questions that I often get from folks is, "Can the marshals give me a traffic ticket?" to which I am quick to respond, "You betcha." As I mentioned earlier, the marshals are all part of a large law enforcement family. The California Penal Code, specifically section 830.1, gives them and others the authority for what they do.
You happen to run a stop sign or are observed talking on your cellphone while operating your vehicle, you could be stopped and issued a citation by a marshal along with a Bill Engvall award for "Here's your sign."
Every law enforcement agency has a primary responsibility and jurisdiction. The marshal's office's primary role is not to work traffic anymore than the California Highway Patrol's is not to go out and service warrants, but if necessary, marshals can and have in the past when called upon.
Every agency has a mission, and we as citizens have one, also. That mission is to ensure that while we are operating motor vehicles, that all in our vehicles are safe and secure and that we can count on others to do the same, so that we can all go out and enjoy the ride.
Monty Hight is a retired CHP officer. He can be reached at coptalk@charter.net.
