A sheriff shall preserve the peace, and suppress, with force and strong hand, if necessary, unlawful disorder. He or she may apprehend, without warrant, persons assembled in disturbance of the peace, and bring them before a Criminal Division of the Superior Court, which shall proceed with such person as with persons brought before it by process issued by such court. (Amended 1965, No. 194, § 10, eff. July 1, 1965, operative Feb. 1, 1967; 1973, No. 249 (Adj. Sess.), § 78, eff. April 9, 1974; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238.)