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Trinity County Superior Courts Marshal's Office

The Marshal's Office is the law-enforcement arm of the Trinity Superior Court. 

It is our mission to provide a safe environment for all court proceedings; to protect the dignity of court proceedings; to provide a safe and secure building for all who enter; and to enforce court orders, including warrants of arrest and the service of civil papers for the County of Trinity.

It is our mission to provide prompt, efficient, and impartial service to the courts and the citizens of Trinity County; and to assist other law enforcement agencies as needed.

n the late 1800s, many cities in the western United States had a City Marshal, who was a contemporary police officer for the city. Of course, the most famous of these was Wyatt Earp before he became a United States Marshal.

The city Marshal was responsible for keeping the peace within the city limits. Outside of the city limits, that duty fell to the County Sheriff, much as it does today.

The Constable has been a fixture throughout history, from feudal times to the establishment of the original 13 colonies in America. In Trinity County, the Constable had always been a part of the Justice Courts, acting as bailiff, process server, investigator, and general peacekeeper. On January 1st, 1989, the Marshal's Office and the Constable's Office consolidated services, becoming the Trinity County Marshal's Office.

In January of 1993, legislation forever changed that separation, providing consolidation of court security services. Which of the two offices (Marshal or Sheriff) would be consolidated was left up to a majority vote of the judges. The judges in Trinity County voted to have the Marshal's Office provide all security services in all courtrooms. The service of all civil process was also given to the Marshal.

In 1998, the voters approved Proposition 220, allowing individual counties to consolidate their Municipal and Superior Court operations. To do so, a majority of the judges of each county would have to vote to consolidate. All 58 counties did so, effectively abolishing all Municipal courts in favor of Superior Courts. The California Constitution was subsequently amended, deleting all references to Municipal courts. So today, all trial courts in the state are Superior Courts.

In 1997, the Lockyer-Isenberg Trial Court Funding Act was introduced. This act provided for the state of California to directly fund all of the trial courts. A large portion of this act related to court security issues and proposed that all Marshal's Offices be abolished and their duties taken over by the Sheriff in each county. This issue, however, was left to each locality to decide.

In Trinity County, the decision was made to leave court security functions with the Marshal's Office, so the proposed merger did not occur. Other large agencies, such as Orange County and San Diego, did merge with their respective Sheriff's Offices.

Today, there are only two Marshals offices left in the state- Shasta County and Trinity County. Of the two, Trinity County is the smallest with seven authorized employees, all of whom are now employees of the Superior Court. In the year 2000, employees of the court system became court employees, whereas before, they had been county employees. This included the Marshal and all sworn deputies.

It is the first time that the trial courts in California have directly employed peace officers. The Superior Court and the Marshal's Office are navigating uncharted waters and at the same time making history.

Functions

Today, the Marshal's Office provides a myriad of services to the community.

  • We are responsible for security in all of the courtrooms in the county, as well as the courthouse itself.
  • We provide judicial protection for the bench officers.
  • We serve civil papers for the County of Trinity.
  • As fully sworn law enforcement officers, we also perform general law enforcement duties within the county, such as traffic enforcement and assistance to other agencies as needed.

Perhaps the most visible and familiar role we play is screening for weapons at the courthouse's front door. If you have to come to the courthouse for any reason, you must first pass through an airport-style weapon screening station. This includes jurors in criminal or civil trials, attorneys, police officers, and members of the general public.

The Marshal and all Deputy Marshals have the same peace officer authority as city Police Officers and Deputy Sheriffs. This authority is derived from California Penal Code section 830.1. A recent legislative change to that section, spearheaded by members of the Shasta County Marshal's office, replaced the word "municipal" with "superior" in reference to the courts and added the word "county" to more accurately reflect the current situation with the remaining Marshal's Offices.

 

Martin Rivera

Jul 23, 2026
Full time
COURT REPORTER Trinity County
$78,458 monthly
Trinity County Superior Courts Marshal's Office CA
GENERAL INFORMATION: This is a highly skilled, certified and experienced position responsible for documenting all proceedings in criminal, civil and other court settings. This position provides the verbatim official record of all oral proceedings in cases heard before the Court. Court Reporters provide their own equipment and transcript supplies; maintain their own records and tapes; and are paid separately for transcripts. This recruitment is being conducted to fill one current vacancy in the Superior Court. SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED: General supervision is provided by the Court Executive Officer of the Trinity Superior Court. TYPICAL TASKS Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: · Attending sessions of the Superior Court as assigned, and making official verbatim record of the proceedings in machine shorthand; · Providing instantaneous read-back of all or portions of the record upon request; ·...
Jul 23, 2026
Part time
Deputy Marshals (Court Security) Temporary Part-Time
$25.00 hourly
Trinity County Superior Courts Marshal's Office CA
Under supervision of the Marshal, Deputy Marshals are assigned to court or to perimeter security and will be expected to perform in each capacity with proficiency and sound judgment.    The Deputy Marshal ensures the safety of judges, commissioners, and court staff, and also provides a safe environment for all persons using the Court facilities. Deputy Marshals may assist with training new employees and will perform those duties required of all peace officers as a first responder or back-up officer, and will  perform other duties as assigned. Special Requirements  • Graduation from high school or equivalent;  • Graduation from a California Law Enforcement Academy approved by the Commission on Peace Officers  Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.);  • Must be current POST qualified;  • Must have successfully passed an FTO program;  • Possession of a valid California Class C Driver License with an acceptable...
Jul 23, 2026
Full time
CCRC/Mediator Trinity County
$47.62 hourly
Trinity County Superior Courts Marshal's Office CA
Minimum Qualifications  A master’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in clinical psychology, social work, marriage, family, and child counseling, behavioral science, or a related fiel,d AND two years of experience in counseling psychotherapy.  Experience - Previous experience in mediation or alternative dispute resolution is preferred - Familiarity with legal processes and procedures - Strong knowledge of conflict resolution techniques and strategies - Excellent communication and interpersonal skills - Ability to remain neutral and impartial in challenging situations - Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple cases simultaneously Duties - Conduct mediation sessions between parties to help them reach mutually agreeable solutions - Facilitate communication and negotiation between parties to promote understanding and resolution - Provide a neutral and unbiased perspective to assist parties in finding...