The term from the classical Arabic wazīr derived in the Hispanic Arabic alwazír and then came to Spanish as a sheriff. The first meaning of the concept in its dictionary refers to a justice officer who is responsible for executing those instructions ordered by a court.
The notion is used with reference to various positions related to security and laws, especially existing in Spanish territory throughout history. Within this framework, the King’s officer, the officer of the Court of the Kingdom of Castile who fulfilled judicial and police functions, was called the chief constable of the king.
The Chief Constable of the Court, on the other hand, was an honorary post awarded by the courts. Other types of sheriffs were the sheriff of the Inquisition, the judicial sheriff, the municipal sheriff and the numerary sheriff.
In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, the position of the sheriff contemplates a series of functions that must be carried out in instances such as the Court of First Instance, the Court of Appeals, the General of Justice and the Supreme. These functions are carried out under the protection of a series of rules, such as Evidence, Civil Procedure, Procedure for Juvenile Affairs and Administration of the Court of First Instance.
There is in Puerto Rico a manual of norms and procedures under which the activities of the sheriff must be governed. Let’s see below some of its most important functions:
* process the orders issued by the Court;
* offer protection and safety to judges, juries, employees and visitors;
* maintain order while a judicial process lasts;
* In cases such as natural disasters or any other unusual situation that may put the Court’s facilities at risk, do everything in your power to ensure your safety;
* provide assistance in the Investigation Room;
* be in charge of coordinating the processes related to the arrival and transfer of the inmates, among other people who are in charge of the authorities while they are in court;
* before the Court’s kidnapping order, provide security;
* process the locations that come from abroad;
* carry out processes to auction goods, both movable and immovable;
* carry out evictions, expropriations and liens.
Sheriff, in addition, is the individual who, in a bullfight, is dedicated to disseminating and fulfilling the orders issued by the president. Also called alguacilillos, they always appear in pairs and on horseback, crossing the ring to clear the place. In ancient times, this tour was very important so that there were no onlookers in the center of the square and thus the bullfight could be carried out without risk to the public.
In some South American countries, the sheriff idea is used as a synonym for dragonfly. A bailiff, in this sense, is an insect with two pairs of wings and antennas of little extension.
Understood as a synonym for dragonfly, the sheriff belongs to the infra-order of the anisoptera, one of the two recognized from the sub-order Epiprocta. They are paleopteran insects, that is, they are not able to fold their wings over their abdomen. They have large, compound eyes (many receptive units are grouped together and they do not have a central lens, which is why they cannot see at high resolutions). The bailiff’s diet consists mainly of small insects, including mosquitoes, bees, flies, moths, and butterflies.
Sheriff, finally, is also the name of a spider that is characterized by presenting spots on the body.
