Calvert County sheriff tells PAB office is prioritizing training, school panic buttons and accreditation effort

The Calvert County Sheriff (name not specified) told the Police Accountability Board on Aug. 20, 2025, that his office is focusing on expanded officer training, recruitment efforts and installing school panic buttons tied directly to 9-1-1.

The sheriff delivered a quarterly report saying the office handled 26,185 calls for service in the quarter, issued just over 1,500 traffic citations, investigated about 431 traffic accidents and made 78 DUI arrests. He told the board deputies initiated about 30 drug-related cases this quarter, with 23 felony and 36 misdemeanor arrests; amounts seized in cash or vehicles were discussed but not specified in the meeting.

The report matters because the sheriff tied the training and operational changes to community safety: he described a multi-pronged training program that includes mandated annual in-service courses from the Tri-County Academy and locally run programs such as crisis intervention training, advanced tactics for patrol officers, repeat firearms and Taser qualifications and a new annual driver in-service course.

Sheriff (name not specified) said training and presence are central to the office’s strategy. “If you’re stopped, you have to comply with that traffic stop,” he told the board while discussing supervisor response procedures and traffic-stop safety. He also described the planned school panic-button system as a tool to speed response to active‑shooter or other critical incidents: “The faster we’re there, the faster we get there is… the key in [an] active shooter situation,” he said.

Details: the sheriff said recruitment remains a challenge nationwide but reported no current vacancies and a waiting list of potential hires. He described outreach to military bases, public schools and homeschool groups, and noted the office’s explorer program and a criminal-justice pipeline that lets some recruits begin work at 18 (with service credit considerations noted). He said the office is finalizing a local sheriff’s office foundation to accept donations for community support programs.

On accreditation, the sheriff said the office is working toward re‑accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and aims to complete the process by year’s end; staff named Sergeant Parsons and others as leads on that work.

Operational items reported included a new medication drop box installed in Dunkirk and plans to add another in District 3 to allow safe disposal of prescription drugs; the sheriff said district stations and increased deputy visibility have reduced burglaries in areas with new local presence. He also noted continued focus on drug enforcement, fentanyl awareness and reinstituting D.A.R.E. curriculum in schools.

Board members and presenters identified specific training initiatives that will continue: a week‑long crisis intervention training that includes role playing and de‑escalation, recurring roll‑call training topics, advanced tactics put on by the special operations team, and use‑of‑force documentation and review. The sheriff said the agency uses an online training platform (Police 1 Academy) to track assignments and completion when appropriate.

The sheriff closed by thanking board members and staff and encouraging public review of the full quarterly report on the sheriff’s office website.

The board asked follow-up questions about recruitment pathways, the scope of the planned panic‑button rollout, and how accreditation work will be maintained after certification.