HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-03-06, Page 3tends to ,voke the
the iron -'handed
just andkeep.
emeat under control., For
f Is an obsolete relic of
aething long since replaced by
Slice officer. .. •
hesurprised to learn that the
and is actually the senior
meg officer in every county in
duties however, bear little
egern b ce to those of his American
' Counterpar
Vitthitario Sheriff is a court official, who
enforces the orders of the court and deals
y in civil matters. The American
griffs are concerned with law enforce-
ment of a criminal nature. Unlike the
American sheriff, the Ontario version is not
an arresting officer, although he does have
the authority to make arrests,
Here' in Huron County, Fred Jewell, of
Goderichl occupies the Sheriff's Office. His
office is housed in the Huron County Court
House, on The Square, and it is from that
building that Jewell exercises his authority.
Jewell performs a variety of tasks, that.
most people would never connect with the
Sheriff's Office. In addition to being sheriff,
Jewell is also the Registrar for both District
and County Courts.
He was appointed Sheriff on January 17,
1974, after being Acting Sheriff for the
previous eight months, following a major
stroke suffered by the the previous sheriff.
Jewell's appointment to the top court office
was a natural progression from his previous
position as registrar and court clerk. He
still functions in both capacities, as is now
the case _. in many counties where the
Sheriff's and Registrars' offices are com-
bined.
"To assist in the flow of the administra-
tion of justice," is how Jewell describes the
sheriff's primary purpose. "It (justice) is
what all our lives are based on," he adds.
Part of the sheriff's duties are to act as co-
orinator for the courts. Scheduling of cour-
troom time, organization of dockets,
assisting judges and selecting juries, are all
tasks which fall under the sheriffs authori-
ty.
Enforcing court orders is another impor-
tant facet of the sheriff's work. There are
three main writs, which the sheriff is em-
powered to execute. The Writ of Execution,
the Writ of Possession and the Writ of
Delivery.
A DAY ON THE JOB
Today's County Sheriff must perform a multitude of duties in addition to the traditional -
tasks involving evictions and property seizures. Fred Jewell (pictured at his desk and in full
courtroom regalia) is the Huron County Sheriff. Jewell also holds the office of Court Clerk
for District and Provincial Court. The Sheriff's Office is also a co-ordinator of court activity
and responsible for court security. Jewell enjoys the "daily contact with people," that his
job affords him. He wishes people were more at ease with dealing with the Sheriff's Office.
"We're not here to hurt people. We're here to assist them," he says. (photo by Patrick Raf-
tis )
The Writ of Execution is the order which
empowers the sheriff to carry out the
seizure 'and sale of property. The Writ of
Possession deals .: with evictions ofin-
dividuals from dwellings.
Neither task is particularly appealling to
Jewell, but he enjoys the challenge and the
daily contact with people that such duties
afford him.
While a court. order gives the sheriff
power to physically sieze property or for-
cibly refnove people from .premisis, Jewell
says he has never beep forced to resort to
these drastic measures.
"I always find if you can sit down and talk
rce'rnent offici
and try to explain now the legal system
works, people understand," he -Says. Jewell
feels it's important .for people to know the
sheriff is not acting either for the debtor or
the creditor, but for the court.
"To be an impartial official, who stands
between the parties and is indifferent to the
cause of action," is the Sheriff's Creed.
Most of Jewell's howls spent in the Co
House, seeing to the administrative end
his Ph. He has a staff of deputies, process"
servers and sheriff's officers, which "hang
die the bulk of the outside work". Je)vell
does go out personally on evictions and
seizures.
While officially a peace officer and
authorized to carry firearms, Jewell says,
"I can't think of any Sheriff that needs to
carry one, (a gun)." In exceptional cases the •
sheriff will call on the local police or provin-
cial police to help enforce a court order.
The duties described so far only scratch
the surface of the Sheriff's role iii the
judicial system. He is totally responsible for
the security of the Court House, the saftey
and accomondation of judges and the guar-
ding of prisoners. fie is also required to
maintain the the dignity of of the courts and
facilitate the everyday contact with
members of the legal community and
general public.
A Sheriff's job description would encom-
pass a wide range of professions: peace of-
ficer, detective, arbitrator, auctioneers• of-
fice manager, landlord, psychologist, ac-
countant, administrator and a host of
others.
Jewell enjoys the challenge and variety of
his job. "It's new everyday," he says.
However, in dealing with people's finan-
cial situations, Jewell also has to deal with
the less pleasant side of life.
"To see what the economy has really done
to some of the people - to see people be at
the top of the mountain one day; and be just
devastated and crushed thenext," these are
things "Jewell finds disheartening.
Jewell says the amount of activity in the
Sheriff's office is a good economic in=
dicator, About a dozen years ago, one -evic-
tion
evicttion per year was the norm. •
"Now, it's more like one a month," he
says.
Because they deal with the seizure of pro=
perty, people, re often wary of involvement
with -the Sheriff. Jewell wishes this was not
"People get nervous if they have to come
in here even to pay a ticket or something.
They freak right out," he says.
"Our job is not to hurt people - it's to
assist them," is the point he would like to
get across.
Canadjan Optometrists' group sponsors .Vision Week
"Life is Worth Seeing," is the slogan of
Save Yam Vision Week, in -Canada. Spon-
sored by the Canadian Association of Op-
tometrists, the aim of the week (March 3 to
9) is to increase public awarness of the im-
portance of proper eye .care.
While some aspects of vision care, such
as industrial saftey, receive a lot of media
attention, Dr. Paul Padfield, speaking on
behalf of local optometrists, says there are
other- areas which could benefit from in-
creased public awareness, -- --- -
Proper eye care should start early in
life, says Padfield.
"If a child goes beyond the age of five -
years -old with uncorrected eye problems,
damage will often be irrepairable," says
Padfield.
Conditions such as amblyopia or "lazy
eyes" which commonly occur in young
children can be treated if discovered ear-
ly. `.`caught-by-iheage4f three_ or four,
there is a lot of things you can do (about
it)," says Padfield.
About the age: of three -years -old is the
ideal time for a first eye examination, says
Padfield and thereafter regular check-ups
are a must.
Although school boards generally con-
duct a screening for eye problems before a
child enters school, Padfield stresses that
-this -is -no substitute far _a.fullexamination.
Often the screening gives parents "a false
sense of security," if nothing is detected.
If a problem is- suspected at even
younger ages, Padfield says a child can be
brought in for examination at any time,
even while still an infant.
After childhood years, "People quite
often overlook regular routine eye care,"
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says Padfield.
_ "During adolesdence-.. ,to -_...-young
adulthood, changes of eye difficulty or
disease cropping up are fairly nlinianaI.
But, as one gets older, the rate of incidence
increases," he added.
The chances of contracting cataracts or
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During Save Your Vision week, eye _care
people across.the country are urging Cana-
dians to think about preventative and cor-
rective steps that can be taken to preserve
eyesight. -
Protecting your eyes from excessive ex-
posure to ultra -violet rays is one precau-
tion, easily taken by obtaining a good pair
of sunglasses.
"Many common sunglasses don't absorb
.ultraviolet rays,7_ Lsay -..Padfield, Such
sunglasses can even be more dangerous
than none at all because they cut down on
harmless but irritating glare, while letting
through the damaging ultraviolet rays.
Padfield says good sunglasses need not
neccessarily be expensive. "You just have
to be careful to see what you're getting,.' he) 1
said. Many good glasses will carry a label
stating the percentage ofprotection
against ultraviolet light.
Other tips for enchanting vision include:
Avoid tinted spectacles and windshields
when driving at night.
Keep spectacles, car mirrors and car
windows clean.
Turn up lights at home, particulary for
close work tasks
Have an annual eye exaxnination.
Dr. Padfield also advocates common
sense precautions, for people who have vi-
sion
ision problems, particularly those with only
. one good eye. He says they should wear
saftey glasses even when doing such
everyday, but potentially dangerous tasks,
as mowing the lawn
While regular examinations will uncover
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Clouding of vision, haloes around lights,
pain or red>,iess of eyes, intermittent or
constant blurred vision, flashes of light or
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