Bill Text: GA SR678 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Sheriff's Day; recognize January 25, 2012
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2012-01-23 - Senate Read and Adopted [SR678 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2011-SR678-Enrolled.html
12 LC 93
0115
Senate
Resolution 678
By:
Senators Grant of the 25th, Hooks of the 14th, Harbison of the 15th, Jackson of
the 2nd, Ginn of the 47th and others
A
RESOLUTION
Commending
the office of sheriff and recognizing January 25, 2012, as Sheriff's Day at the
capitol; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
the office of sheriff is considered to be the oldest of all governmental
entities, dating back to 600 B.C. as recorded in the Book of Daniel;
and
WHEREAS,
the office of sheriff in America is derived from English Common Law where the
Reeves of ancient England were the first democratically elected officials in the
history of Western Civilization; and
WHEREAS,
Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of our nation's Constitution, wrote in
The Value of
Constitutions, "the office of sheriff is
the most important of all the executive offices of the county"; and
WHEREAS,
in Georgia, it is established in the state Constitution and ratified by our
citizens and, as such, operates state wide with certain limited authority to
perform the mandates and requirements of the office; and
WHEREAS,
historically, since the creation of the office of Governor and the General
Assembly in Georgia, governors and legislatures have placed tremendous
confidence and trust in the office of sheriff as evidenced by more than 600
references within the Official Code of Georgia Annotated requiring sheriffs to
perform services and engage in activities critical to safety, security, and
benefit to Georgia's citizens and state government; and
WHEREAS,
the duties and responsibilities of the office of sheriff are many and varied,
and in addition to sheriffs being the chief law enforcement officers of this
state's counties and the keepers of its jails, they are further tasked with a
host of other duties, including providing security to the courts, executing all
of the writs and orders of the courts, registering and tracking sex offenders,
transporting inmates and individuals involuntarily committed for mental health
evaluations, and a host of other mandated activities; and
WHEREAS,
the office of sheriff is an office of the citizens of the county that is funded
solely by local land owning taxpayers and operates independently of county
government.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body commend
the care, fortitude, and selfless dedication exhibited by the office of sheriff
in carrying out the difficult duties of its vocation and recognize January 25,
2012, as Sheriff's Day at the capitol.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the public and press.
