Prince George, B.C. –There’s a new Sheriff in town, well, actually,  two new Deputy Sheriffs.

The two  who will be  serving in Prince George, are among a  dozen new  graduates of the Sheriff Recruit Training program at the Justice Institute of BC. The others will be taking up posts in the Lower Mainland, Victoria, Nelson , Cranbrook and  Williams Lake.

Their main responsibilities include:

* Providing prisoner escorts between courthouses, correctional centres and police lock-up facilities

* Courthouse and courtroom security, including the management of courthouse lock-up facilities

* Jury management

* Providing protection services to government, as well as threat assessment to ministries

Justice Institute of BC President Dr. Michel Tarko says training for  Sheriffs has evolved over the years,  as their  jobs have become more complex.  The Justice Institute has  trained well over 1,000 Sheriffs over the  past  35 years.