the office of shire-reeve or sheriff was created by
Sheriff The word sheriff is a contraction of the term "shire reeve". The term, from the Old English scÄ«rgerefa, designated a royal official responsible for keeping the peace (a "reeve") throughout a shire or county on behalf of the king.[2] The term was preserved in England notwithstanding the Norman Conquest. From the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the term spread to several other regions, at an early point to Scotland, latterly to Ireland and to the United States.
Commissioners' court Each of the four county commissioners represents an area of the county, or precinct, that is designed to be roughly equal in population to each of the other such areas. In addition to serving as voting members of the court, county commissioners are often charged with overseeing county roads and bridges within their precinct, and are sometimes also responsible for solid waste collection, parks and other services within the precinct. In rural counties, the role of the county commissioner outside of the commissioners court tends to be quite substantial, while in urban counties, the delivery of county services is frequently consolidated in county-wide departments, with the bulk of a commissioner's time being devoted to the commissioners court. The commissioners are elected to staggered, four-year terms, with two taking office every other year, and are elected by the votes of the precinct represented.