The Law in Snippettsville

[Alex De Kok]

From reading I have been doing and from comments made by some of you, it appears that my choice of 'Constable' for Tom Holt's position was in error. The local law would apparently be provided by the Sheriff's office, which leads me to queries.

Snippettsville, with a population around 2,000 in its revised form, is presumably too small to warrant a sheriff. My present thinking is this:

The Sheriff's headquarters office would be located in the county seat (names to be finalised). Would Snippettsville warrant a permanently located deputy, reporting to the county sheriff?

Alternatively, would Snippettsville be a good location for a county Sheriff, although other towns in the county were larger, if Snippettsville were reasonably central in the county?

Suggestions welcome, but I'd like to keep Tom Holt resident in Snippettsville!

I'd appreciate a note of any significant differences were we to move Snippettsville to Oregon!

Alex

 

[Weird Harold]

From reading I have been doing and from comments made by some of you, it appears that my choice of 'Constable' for Tom Holt's position was in error. The local law would apparently be provided by the Sheriff's office, which leads me to queries.

Not really in error, but the position of "constable" in a small town isn't quite the same as it would be in England.

In many small towns, the position of Constable is an elected position on the Twon council with some law enforcement powers. Not really a law officer, but the council member responsible for insuring law and order is provided as necessary.

The Sheriff's headquarters office would be located in the county seat (names to be finalised). Would Snippettsville warrant a permanently located deputy, reporting to the county sheriff?

Alternatively, would Snippettsville be a good location for a county Sheriff, although other towns in the county were larger, if Snippettsville were reasonably central in the county?

I think Tom could easily be the resident Sheriff's Deputy in Snippetsville with no problem. He would have an office in the Town Hall for his paperwork, but his area of responsibility would be the entire surrounding area -- perhaps a radius thirty to forty miles; whatever about halfway to the nearest big city ineither direction is.

Tom would primarily be responsible for any traffic enforcement and crime off of the Interstate (which would be the highway patrol's job) although he would have jurisdiction over any violations he saw on the Interstate as well.

If Tom remains the Constable of Snippetsville, his law enforcement powers and jurisdiction would be limited to the Snippetsville city limits.

If Snippetsville is far enough from a big city, Tom could be a resident Highway Patrolman as well. If that's the choice, he would probably have one or two other patrolmen under his command to provide 24 hour coverage of his assigned section of the Interstate. Highway Patrol detachments, in Oregon at least, have offices somewhere other than City Hall -- a rented office somewhere in town where there isn't a direct association withthe city government.

Suggestions welcome, but I'd like to keep Tom Holt resident in Snippettsville!

No problem with keeping him in town, but his exact status dpends on where you want him to have jurisdiction and what you want him to be resonsilbe for.

I'd appreciate a note of any significant differences were we to move Snippettsville to Oregon!

As far as Law enforcement is concerned, Oregon has three levels of Law enforcement -- State Police/Highway Patrol, County Sheriff's departments, and City Police/City Constables; the title of the city police chief depends on the city charter; usually "Police Chief" if he's hired, or "Constable" if he's elected. For most people outside of city limits, theSheriff's department is their primary law enforcment and criminal investigation agency.

 

[Jenny _S]

Suggestions welcome, but I'd like to keep Tom Holt resident in Snippettsville!

I'd appreciate a note of any significant differences were we to move Snippettsville to Oregon!

Alex

Alex,
The Law Enforcement scene in Oregon is a little different than you seem to be guessing.

Oregon has a large State Police Force whos responsibilities cover the State and Federal Hiway System (What you would think of as the Hiway Patrol). In addition they over see the licensing of all drivers and vehicles in the state as well as the prison system.

Each County has a Sheriff who's responsibilities are fairly broad including, traffic, crime and domestic relations within their respective county un-incorporated areas.

Each City has a Police Department with the same responsibilities as the County Sheriff, but only within their specific incorporated area. This includes Police Departments down to towns as small as about 500 people. Smaller towns will contract Police protection from either the State Police or the County Sheriff.

There is no requirement that a Law Enforcement officer live within the area of the Department for which they work. In western Oregon that causes no problem since the counties are fairly small, the freeway system is excellent and the towns close together.

Central and Eastern Oregon are much less populated and the counties cover much larger areas. But the landscape is mostly rural farmland or high desert.

A note: Central Oregon also has a large Indian Reservation in the Deschutes area. The reservation has its own Indian Police force which doesn't seem to do anything except sell fishing licenses.

Hope this info helps.

 

[MathGirl]

The law in SVille

In my story "The Chemistry Teacher," SVille High School has a campus security cop. Also, the hospital there is large enough to have a psychiatric unit. I'm afraid those things wouldn't be true in a town of 2000.

Feel free to ignore these loose ends, though. It's only one little, insignificant story.

Censually,
MG

Ps. In California, a town of 2000 residents would either have its own small police force or at least two deputy sheriffs living there.

 

[Guest]

I was about to post my first snippet and am glad I read this as I had my woman flying east to go to the town.

Why, in fiction such as this, i.e., for fun and no profit, do we need to be so exact per real life? Do we need to know what state Snippetsville is in? Wouldn't 'someplace in the midwest' be OK? or the east coast, or... ?

I will follow the leaders, just may have to edit my snips later.

Perdita

p.s. Might 'constable' simply be a local term of endearment?

 

[Rainbow Skin]

p.s. Might 'constable' simply be a local term of endearment?

They called him 'cunt' for short but not for long.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Re: Re: The Law in Snippettsville

Alex,
The Law Enforcement scene in Oregon is a little different than you seem to be guessing.

Oregon has a large State Police Force whos responsibilities cover the State and Federal Hiway System (What you would think of as the Hiway Patrol). In addition they over see the licensing of all drivers and vehicles in the state as well as the prison system.

Each County has a Sheriff who's responsibilities are fairly broad including, traffic, crime and domestic relations within their respective county un-incorporated areas.

Each City has a Police Department with the same responsibilities as the County Sheriff, but only within their specific incorporated area. This includes Police Departments down to towns as small as about 500 people. Smaller towns will contract Police protection from either the State Police or the County Sheriff.

There is no requirement that a Law Enforcement officer live within the area of the Department for which they work. In western Oregon that causes no problem since the counties are fairly small, the freeway system is excellent and the towns close together.

Central and Eastern Oregon are much less populated and the counties cover much larger areas. But the landscape is mostly rural farmland or high desert.

A note: Central Oregon also has a large Indian Reservation in the Deschutes area. The reservation has its own Indian Police force which doesn't seem to do anything except sell fishing licenses.

Hope this info helps.

This is the way things are in most of the states that I've lived in that I was old enough to take notice of these things. Missouri, Kansas, California, Alaska, Nebraska.

Very good summation.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Why, in fiction such as this, i.e., for fun and no profit, do we need to be so exact per real life?

There is nothing readers take so much delight in as proving you wrong. Apply that to all of your writing and you'll be okay. It's not malicious, but it certainly feels good when you can find inconsistencies and wrongness. Sort of like a puzzle.

 

[MathGirl]

Originally posted by KillerMuffin There is nothing readers take so much delight in as proving you wrong.

Like a library book when the tiniest typo or improper grammar is underlined by a previous reader.
MG

 

[Alex De Kok]

As Killermuffin said,

There is nothing readers take so much delight in as proving you wrong.

which is why I'd like at least a modicum of accuracy! For the same reason I don't want Snippettsville to be a real place, although I do want it to be as "real" as we can make it.

Unless anything major makes me change my mind - and I still need to discuss this with my co-creator - Snippettsville will be 'somewhere in Oregon', not far from 'the Interstate'.

Alex

 

[MathGirl]

Originally posted by Alex De Kok 'somewhere in Oregon', not far from 'the Interstate'.

As long as we're striving for verisimilitude, better specify that the Interstate is I-5.
Chartographically,
MG

 

[wildsweetone]

Does this mean that Tom Holt is going to be the county Sheriff?

In which case my pie story needs more work because I have Archie as a deputy... hmm Unless Tom needs a local to be his deputy...

 

[Weird Harold]

Does this mean that Tom Holt is going to be the county Sheriff?

In which case my pie story needs more work because I have Archie as a deputy... hmm Unless Tom needs a local to be his deputy...

I think Tom is going to wind up the "city police chief," although he could be a Deputy Sheriff or State Police Corporal in charge of a "field office" -- like the State Police Corporal who lived next door (and gave me my first speeding ticket in my own driveway with my dad watching )

My home town had a three man city police department and a three man field office of the State Police. The only County Sheriff's presence in the area was the single officer assigned to Westfir, and I don't recall that he actually lived there or was actually in his office very often -- he was usually out patrolling the back roads.

We also had a Game Warden that lived in the area (a few miles north, but he was a common sight on the back-roads.)

 

[KillerMuffin]

Like a library book when the tiniest typo or improper grammar is underlined by a previous reader.
MG

Or a math book where the incorrect solution to the problem is hilighted with circles and arrows pointed to it.

If you want some vicious, nasty feedback, write a how-to around here.


I really like this thread. It's cool watching the planning in action!

 

[Guest]

 

[Wantonica]

Police Service

In my own personal Snippettsville we have a police chief and three other officers. Only one is on duty at any given time. Once you leave the village limits, the Sheriff's Department takes over.

Happy day to all of you!
Wantonica

 

[MathGirl]

Originally posted by KillerMuffin If you want some vicious, nasty feedback, write a how-to around here.

Dear Muffie,
I assume you mean "how to" pieces relating to writing. I've read yours, and they're very good. I can see how something like that would rile up those who are not open minded enough to consider the opinions of others. It's very subjective.

I wrote a "how to" about depilation of a certain intimate, normally hirsute area. I've never had an unfavorable comment, and it seems to be the most popular thing I've ever written. Go figger.

Smoothly,
MG
Ps. It's quite amazing to watch all these rugged individualists pull something like Snippetsville together. Cool.

 

[Alex De Kok]

Present thinking is to make Tom Holt Snippettsville Police Chief, with a couple or three deputies and the "secretary and general office factotum" already alluded to by Quasimodem. His jurisdiction will be Snippettsville, with other police needed for any mischief at Green Lake, outside Snippettsville limits.

This will facilitate interaction with the county Sheriff's office and even the Highway Patrol, occasional individuals having been known to come and sample Hannah's pie.

It'll mean a couple of minor rewrites before we can put together an issue of the 'Snippettsville Times' (or whatever we're calling it) so I'll apologise now.

Sorry.

Alex

 

[wildsweetone]

Ps. It's quite amazing to watch all these rugged individualists pull something like Snippetsville together. Cool.

Darn, I was trying so hard to do the pretty/girly/feminine thingee. *checking mirror* That had so better not be a black whisker on my chin.

Wantonica Your policing situation sounds like Snippettsville to me. Thanks for your input

 

[Weird Harold]

Present thinking is to make Tom Holt Snippettsville Police Chief, with a couple or three deputies and the "secretary and general office factotum" already alluded to by Quasimodem. His jurisdiction will be Snippettsville, with other police needed for any mischief at Green Lake, outside Snippettsville limits.

I think Wantonica's vision of the Snippetsville law enforcement situation is a keeper. Piercestreet's hometown's "Part-timers" canbe used to explain away any discrepancies as long as we don't let the numbers get out-of-hand.

IIRC, my hometown deputized part-timers for limited periods -- i.e. while they were "active" -- and they had no legal authority when they weren't "active."

 

[Wantonica]

I think Wantonica's vision of the Snippetsville law enforcement situation is a keeper.

Thanks, Weird Harold. I am feeling so much bonding in this group, especially living in a place just as you all imagine. I'm not originally from here, but raised my kids in one of the churches here (their dad's hometown), and made the move three years ago, since my boyfriend lives here. It is very interesting. Very, very interesting. With three teenagers between us, we have the officers over frequently. It goes something like this: "Hello, we had to take your son's bullhorn... he was telling the old ladies they were sexy." Sheesh, I hope I can find the time to write about it all!

Smiles,
Wantonica

 

[wildsweetone]

umm

Should I ask what a 'bullhorn' is?



Weird Harold... When are you signing up and submitting a 600er dear?


I guess when we have a terrorist attack in Snippettsville, we can deputize half the population.

 

[Weird Harold]

Re: umm

Should I ask what a 'bullhorn' is?



Weird Harold... When are you signing up and submitting a 600er dear?

I think the English idiom is "loud-hailer" -- a hand held, amplified, successor to a megaphone.

Probably never -- 600words doesn't fit my my natural tendency toward "pompous verbosity" very well.

 

[Alex De Kok]

Weird Harold said

600words doesn't fit my my natural tendency toward "pompous verbosity" very well.

Me either. I'm having to write "two-parters"!

Alex

 

[Weird Harold]

Re: Weird Harold said

Me either. I'm having to write "two-parters"!

Alex

I'm afraid I'd run more towards six or ten parters.