Short answers, pulled from the story.
The word sheriff originates from the Old English term shire-reeve, a royal official tasked with managing a shire or county on behalf of the king. This title is a contraction of shire and reeve and dates back to a time when the king's authority relied on local men to collect taxes and keep the peace.
In Scotland, the sheriff is a judicial office holder and a member of the judiciary who deals with the majority of civil and criminal court cases. These sheriffs must be legally qualified and have been qualified as an advocate or solicitor for at least 10 years to preside in solemn proceedings with a jury of 15 for indictable offences.
The office of sheriff in Ireland was formally abolished in 1926, but the Court Officers Act 1945 was passed to allow a new office of sheriff to take over some or all of the under-sheriff's functions when the Dublin city under-sheriff retired in 1945. Revenue sheriffs were introduced for the rest of the state in the late 1980s as part of a crackdown on tax evasion.
Among cities in India, only Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, the three former British presidencies, have had sheriffs. First established in the 18th century based on the English high sheriffs, they were the executive arm of the judiciary, responsible for assembling jurors, bringing people to trial, and supervising the gaoling of prisoners.
The office of sheriff as county official in colonial North America is recorded from the 1640s. In the modern United States, the sheriff is most often an elected county official who serves as the chief civilian law enforcement officer of their jurisdiction.
The post of sheriff in Iceland was mandated by the Old Covenant, an agreement between the Icelandic Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Norway, which was ratified between 1262 and 1264. This makes the post of sheriff the oldest secular position of government still operating in Iceland.