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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. 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From 41229.00 p. p. rrDon't miss tf ti "rd-afiFy"' -" Iisu� to Sunny California. 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 glaucoma increase with age, but with to- day's technology these disorders can be "caug.ht very early ' and- treated with, mininlal difficulties," says Padfield. 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 many common eye problems, there are some early warning signs, can signify a problem_ requiringiimmediate attention. Clouding of vision, haloes around lights, pain or red>,iess of eyes, intermittent or constant blurred vision, flashes of light or very large floaters (translucent specks of various sizes floating within the eye), are all things which should send people scurry- ing to an optometrist: IT'S LEVI'S" WEEK: LeV1S COUNTRY MUSIC FANS 4 DAY NASHVILLE:.DEPARTS: APRIL 5, MAY 17 OCTOBER 11. 1985 3 DAY RLNFRO VALLEY: DEPARTS: APRIL 26, MAY 3,1. 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