Sheriff requests staff, technology and patrol upgrades; commissioners weigh priorities for Lexington Park

The St. Mary's County sheriff on Monday asked the Board of County Commissioners to approve a package of personnel and equipment additions for the sheriff's office aimed at expanding patrol presence and improving investigative capacity, with a particular emphasis on a community-policing push in Lexington Park.

The sheriff said the office's FY2013 request would increase law enforcement spending and outlined specific asks including additional deputies for a community policing initiative in Lexington Park, new ranks and promotional moves, civilian station clerks intended to free supervisors for street duties, an NCIC validation coordinator, internal-affairs software and investments for the crime lab.

Why it matters: Commissioners repeatedly described Lexington Park policing as a priority and pressed staff and the sheriff to identify lower-cost alternatives and trade-offs. Several members said they favor steps that put more uniformed officers on the street, but they also flagged the county's limited revenue outlook and asked that rank promotions and systemwide compensation decisions be resolved in a separate March 13 meeting covering countywide pay and benefits.

Most significant requests and debate - Community policing in Lexington Park: The sheriff sought five deputies for a C-Safe/community-policing initiative to patrol Lexington Park and pursue a broader problem-solving approach, saying the additional officers would let the county "clean up" problem areas and replicate the positive effects of past place-based work (lights and patrol) in Colony Square. Commissioners supported the goal but asked whether existing deputies could be redeployed, whether civilian hires could free sworn officers for patrol, and whether the School Resource Officer (SRO) program should be funded from the Board of Education budget instead of county general funds. The sheriff said the new deputies were designed for an initiative distinct from normal patrol and that the request reflects his assessment of local need.

- Rank promotions: The sheriff asked to convert deputy first-class and deputy positions into promotional ranks (DFC, corporal and others). Commissioners declined to approve promotions now, noting promotions would be considered along with countywide compensation and merit decisions scheduled for March 13. One commissioner said promotions should be handled systemwide to avoid internal conflict.

- Civilian station clerks: The sheriff proposed adding civilian station clerks (a request that included restoring one previously frozen civilian position plus additional new clerks) to relieve lieutenants and sergeants from front-desk duties, freeing senior uniformed staff to supervise on the street. Commissioners asked for options including part-time or hybrid hiring and directed staff to work with the sheriff to develop alternatives (for example restoring a frozen position as part time) and return with specific scenarios.

- NCIC validation coordinator and IA software: The sheriff requested a full-time NCIC validation coordinator to replace a long-running temporary arrangement and said the work requires near full-time attention to meet National Crime Information Center validation rules. He also asked for an internal-affairs (IA) software package (described as an early-warning and case-management system) for roughly $13,400 initial cost plus recurring maintenance; proponents said it would replace manual, time-consuming reporting and improve compliance and reporting (CALEA) capacity. Commissioners generally supported carrying IA software forward for further review, asking staff to look for potential overtime offsets and to confirm whether any countywide systems could meet the need.

- Crime lab, surveillance and investigative capacity: The sheriff sought increased forensic supplies, confidential surveillance equipment and training for VCI/computer crimes. Commissioners accepted the operational need but asked finance staff to check prior-year use rates and to treat some supplies as event-driven increases that could be revisited as revenues and needs are reconciled.

Commissioners' directives and next steps Commissioners did not make final approvals at the meeting. They asked staff to: (1) treat rank and pay changes separately at the March 13 countywide compensation session; (2) return with options for station-clerk staffing (part-time vs full-time, phased restoration of frozen positions) and the operational impacts; (3) look for internal reassignments and civilianization opportunities that could free sworn officers for patrol; and (4) bring updated revenue estimates before any new hires are finalized. The board indicated it would carry some sheriff items forward as "maybes" pending reconciliation with projected revenues.

Quotes "I'm authorized a 130. I haven't had any police since 2009. I believe today I have 4 vacancies," Sheriff Cameron said, describing the department's staffing challenges and arguing for tools and staff to keep deputies on the street. "The lieutenant or duty officer being on the desk is something that has been in practice here for a long, long time. The public likes it because they can get a policeman on the phone to answer their questions. But we're at the point now where I need everybody that I can get, especially senior leadership, because we're a young department."

The sheriff also said of NCIC validation: "Right now, this is being done manually by a sergeant... it takes hours upon weeks to get this stuff done. This will be entered into the system and automatically will generate the reports for you."

Ending: The commissioners and sheriff left the meeting with several open items to refine. The board signaled political support for improving police presence in Lexington Park but asked staff to return with lower-cost options and clearer trade-offs before committing new recurring spending.