Deputy chief details new hires as sheriff warns of fentanyl cases

Deputy Chief Arlo Norman updated the Washington County Board of Commissioners on staffing and operations at the Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 5, describing recent hires in patrol, detention and the 911 center and ongoing investigations into drug activity involving cocaine and fentanyl.

Norman outlined new patrol hires and three recent additions to telecommunications and detention staff, and described a Chief Deputies Leadership Institute that staff are completing. He also reported 2023 workloads for civil and criminal paper service and said investigators are actively working drug cases involving cocaine and fentanyl.

Commissioner John C. Spruill asked whether fentanyl incidents are increasing; Norman replied that they are seeing an increase and linked the trend to broader social factors. County Manager Curtis S. Potter and others pressed for clarification on violent‑crime trends and on newly required certifications for deputies and telecommunicators; Norman said the new certification rules apply to all and warned they could worsen hiring challenges.

Sheriff John Barnes briefed the board on his office’s FY25 outlook, saying the office is not seeking major new programs but will need routine vehicle replacements. He noted that many manufacturers now supply SUVs rather than cars for law enforcement, raising per‑vehicle costs by roughly $5,000, and said the county’s replacement rotation is keeping vehicles serviceable. The sheriff also said a new records management/computerized citation system (RMS) went live the meeting day, replacing paper citations with electronic in‑vehicle printing.

Chair Ann C. Keyes thanked law enforcement for their work. The board did not take further action on departmental staffing at this meeting.