Training & Law Enforcement Authority

Upon successful completion of the academy new deputies report to the Sheriff’s Office and are evaluated in a 14 week Field Training Program (FTO). Newly sworn deputy sheriffs are assigned to a Senior Deputy who has received specialized training in evaluation, development and application of the skills taught in the academy. Daily and weekly reports are completed and tracked to ensure satisfactory performance in this phase of the training process.

Deputies are also required to return to the academy yearly to maintain their Police Officer Certification. They participate in such classes as Law, Firearms, Defensive Tactics and First Responder, etc. Deputies also attend training classes throughout the State of Maryland as well as in other states in a wide variety of specialized skills.

Some of the recent training classes attended by deputies are:

• Officer Wellness
• Taser
• FTO School
• REID Interview and Interrogation
• First Line Supervisor/Administrator School
• Rifle training and qualifications
• General Instructor School
• Basic Ballistic Shield Class
• Crisis Intervention Team School
• ASP Instructor
• National and Regional Use of Force Conferences
• Emergency Vehicle Operator Courses
• Red Dot Instructor School
• Canine School (Patrol, Explosive, Narcotics)
• SWAT School

The Maryland Constitution provides that the Sheriff be elected every four years, and the Office comes under the Judicial Branch of Government. The Sheriff is therefore a State Constitutional Officer who functions autonomously from the Legislative and Executive branches of government. The authority and responsibilities of the Office of the Sheriff are established by common law, statutory enactment and judicial rules. A Sheriff’s jurisdiction is defined as the County in which the Sheriff is elected and is referred to as a “bailiwick.” The Sheriff and his Deputies have the authority to serve certain types of process in other Maryland counties such as summonses, subpoenas and arrest warrants.