Sheriff's office reports body-worn camera rollout for deputies, details staffing and court responsibilities

Deputy Chief Black told the Police Accountability Board that, under state law effective July 1, Baltimore County deputy sheriffs are now wearing body-worn cameras and their footage is stored on evidence.com using the same hardware and software as the police department. He said training and coordination with information technology and property management preceded the transition and that the rollout has gone smoothly so far.

Black also briefed the board on staffing and operations. He said the sheriff's office faces a roughly 35% vacancy rate, which he attributed to attrition since 2021–22 and competition from neighboring jurisdictions and other agencies. He described recruitment efforts including hiring bonuses structured over time to encourage retention, aggressive community recruitment outreach, and sending entry-level candidates to the Baltimore County Police Academy for training required by the Maryland Police Training Commission.

On operational duties, Black explained the sheriff's primary responsibilities—circuit court security, transport of incarcerated individuals, process-service units that serve summonses, protective orders, levies and some types of evictions (mortgage- or tax-sale related)—and clarified the district versus circuit court roles. He said the office provides support to the police department for traffic details and special assignments but generally does not have primary responsibility to investigate 911 calls.

Next steps: the sheriff's office will continue recruitment outreach and training partnerships with the county police academy; the board asked follow-up questions on retention and resource sufficiency.