Freeholder Chairperson: H. James Polos
Sheriff: Mildred S. Scott

 

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In 1683, when Middlesex County was officially established, Samuel Moore was appointed as its Sheriff and was given executive power over the jail. The Sheriff's Office has been continuously in existence since that date, although some of its functions have changed during that time.

Some of the Sheriff's Department functions date back more than 700 years. Although the Sheriff's Department is a member of the law enforcement community, its functions and responsibilities differ from those of the local police department with which most of us are familiar.

A large responsibility of the Sheriff's Department is enforcing court orders, many of which relate to collecting judgments on behalf of a plaintiff. These orders include wage garnishments, general writs of execution and foreclosures on real property.

A major responsibility of the uniform section of the Sheriff's Department is to provide security in the Superior Courts located in New Brunswick, the County Seat. In addition to providing security in the Courthouses, Sheriff's Officers transport prisoners between the correctional facility and both Municipal and Superior Courts.

The Sheriff's Office also makes arrests of individuals for whom there are court-issued warrants. Many of these warrants are for individuals who have failed to meet their court-mandated child support responsibilities.

The Sheriff's Office is responsible for insuring that all school-age children are fingerprinted. The fingerprint cards are given to their parents to allow for future identification in cases of missing children.

The Identification Bureau of the Sheriff's Department is required by law to photograph and fingerprint any person who is arrested for an indictable offense. A unique service of the Sheriff's Department is providing a composite artist to local police departments when an eyewitness can help describe a crime perpetrator.

Whether it's providing security in the Courthouses, transporting inmates to municipal and superior courts, effecting arrests on outstanding warrants, or performing any of our other many functions, our goal is always to provide the best service at the lowest cost to our County taxpayers. Along these lines, we work closely with our local police departments to provide specialized services, allowing them to utilize their manpower in their municipalities while providing the cost effectiveness that comes with the regionalization of these services.