1264                               Laws of Maryland                         Ch. 528

trict. The appointing DESIGNATING judge shall assign the sheriffs
or constables to the various courts or divisions of courts within his
district so that every court or division of a court has at least one
sheriff or constable. The sheriffs or constables shall be paid the com-
pensation provided by law and shall continue in office at the pleasure
of the chief judge of the District, Court.

(b) All civil process and papers of the District Court shall be

served by the sheriffs or constables of the respective districts, or as

provided by rule, and all criminal and traffic process including war-

rants and summonses for witnesses shall be served by the sheriffs of

the respective counties or by State or local police as shall be deter-
mined by rule.

(B) ALL CIVIL PROCESS AND PAPERS OF THE DISTRICT
COURT SHALL BE SERVED BY THE CONSTABLES OF THE
RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS, OR AS PROVIDED BY RULE, EX-
CEPT THAT IF THE ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE OF A PAR-
TICULAR DISTRICT SO ORDERS, SUCH PAPERS AND PROC-
ESS MAY BE SERVED BY THE SHERIFFS OF THE RESPEC-
TIVE COUNTIES. ALL CRIMINAL AND TRAFFIC PROCESS,
INCLUDING WARRANTS AND SUMMONSES FOR WITNESSES
SHALL BE SERVED BY THE SHERIFFS OF THE RESPECTIVE
COUNTIES OR BY STATE OR LOCAL POLICE AS SHALL BE
DETERMINED BY RULE.

154. Commissioners, Appointment, Powers, Duty and Compensation.

(a)    There shall MAY be appointed by the administrative judge of
each district, with the approval of the chief judge of the District
Court, a number of commissioners in each county and the City of
Baltimore as necessary to perform the functions of the office as here-
inafter set forth. In multiple county districts, the administrative
judge shall obtain the recommendation of a THE resident judge OR
JUDGES in each county as to the number of commissioners to be
appointed in the county and as to the person or persons to be ap-
pointed.

(b)    Commissioners shall be adult residents of the counties in
which they serve or the City of Baltimore if they are to serve therein,
but they need not be members of the bar. Each commissioner shall
be paid compensation as fixed by law and shall hold office at the
pleasure of the chief judge of the District Court and shall have the
powers and duties hereinafter set forth.

(c)    A commissioner shall receive applications and determine prob-
able cause for arrest warrants. He shall advise arrested persons of
their constitutional rights, set bond or commit persons to jail in
default of bond or release them on personal recognizance if circum-
stances warrant, and conduct investigations and inquiries into the
circumstances of any matter presented to him in order to determine
if probable cause exists for the issuance of a warrant and, in general,
perform all the functions of committing magistrates as exercised by
the justices of the peace prior to the effective date of this section in
the City of Baltimore and each county, and there shall be in each
county and the City of Baltimore, at all times, one or more commis-
sioners available for the convenience of the public and police in
obtaining warrants and to advise arrested persons of their rights as
required by law.