What about the Constables?

[skippythwndrdog]

Anybody know anything about the position of Constable in a county? I think there are three per county.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Here in Arkansas

a constable is a law enforcement officer for a township, so the number of constables varies according to the number of townships there are. Here they are not paid, but they can carry a firearm and have a flashing blue add on light for their truck or car. They can pull people over for traffic violations, check out things before sheriff arrives, etc. Here they are elected officials.

[jarab]

2. I think one per district ....

http://www.elect.ky.gov/candidate.htm

Qualifications (same as for sheriff) - 24 or older, resident of KY for two years and resident of county and district (in which s/he's running) for the prior one year. Term is four years and filing fee is fifty bucks.
No law enforcement experience required.

...O...

[Democrat 4 Ever]

3. Locally constables are used for "crowd control"

The only time I have seen a constable is at local football games directing traffic. Think it is a purely "ceremonial" job for police wannabes. Don't think they get no pay, have to buy their own uniforms and badge, are encouraged not to hassle the public and are generally laughed at by police and private citizens alike. JMHO

Several years ago we did have one out of control local constable that took his job very seriously. Kept pulling over nice looking women offering assistance and when turned down scared the begeebers out of them by threating to arrest them for various traffic violations. He compounded his problems by doing it in counties other than his own. I do know he was found guilty of something, stripped of his uniform and badge, turned down for a crosswalk job and is flipping burgers at Micky D's (I made up the part about the cross walking job and McD's.) Think he paid a fine and lost his constable gig.

[jarab]

4. That's about the size of it ...

This position was at one time very necessary. But that was a time when there were few passable roads and horses were the means of travel to remote outreaches of a county. A constable in a remote village could perform many of the functions later performed by the sheriff's dept; service of papers, warrants. He was a local presence, and as such, likely was a preventative.
In almost all areas of the country the constable is no longer needed, and is oftentimes a joke. Around here they are best utilized as school-zone traffic control.
No training - no badge as I see it.
But, the constitution would have to be changed. So, we're likely stuck with the position until the time comes when one of them causes a disastrously public uproar - a calamitous occurrence due to lack of training - worthy of a movement to eliminate the position.
...O...