The Charles County Sheriff’s Office today announced that it has obtained several
new grants. The grants were awarded by the Governor’s Office of Crime
Control and Prevention (GOCCP) to support a number of public safety efforts in
the community.
The Sheriff’s Office received $36,201 in grant funding to purchase new software
for the Crime Analysis Unit. The two employees assigned to this unit analyze an
enormous amount of data related to crimes and crime trends to support the
efforts of patrol officers and detectives. The software will allow them to
analyze their data quicker and more effectively. More than 2,000 organizations
in more than 100 countries rely on the same software for investigations and
intelligence analysis.
A $33,750 grant will fund a Cold Case Squad that will be comprised of
experienced homicide detectives who will work overtime hours to focus their
resources on cold cases, the unsolved cases that are not currently being
investigated. Advances in technology have enhanced the analysis of evidence
especially DNA, fingerprinting and ballistics. Detectives will use these tools
and their investigative experience to re-examine unsolved homicides, suspicious
deaths, rapes and other sex offenses, child abuse cases, missing person cases,
commercial armed robberies and other cold cases. Solving these cases will
provide closure to families who have suffered a terrible loss, assist in
bringing perpetrators to justice and provide crucial information when the crime
is committed by a serial perpetrator.
The Special Victims Unit of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office is responsible
for the County’s portion of the Sex Offender Registry. A $25,000 Sex Offender
Compliance and Enforcement in Maryland grant will provide overtime funding to
support the compliance enforcement program. The funds will be used by detectives
to conduct compliance checks and by the Warrant/Fugitive Unit to locate the
absconders.
Because of the rapid increase in traffic fatalities in 2005 and the similar pace
of fatal crashes so far this year, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office applied
for and received a grant to purchase additional radar equipment. The $23,850
grant will support the purchase of 12 radar units that will be used in on-going
efforts to deter speeders and reduce motor vehicle collisions. Speed is a factor
in many crashes and the Sheriff’s Office hopes to reduce violations, and
subsequently speed-related collisions, when it receives the radar equipment in
August.
The GOCCP and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland
awarded the Sheriff’s Office a $15,000 gang planning grant as part of a program
that helps local jurisdictions make accurate assessments of gang activities in
their areas. The Sheriff’s Office will work with local government officials and
community groups to complete a comprehensive assessment of gang activity in
Charles County, including the current programs and resources that can be
leveraged to address prevention, intervention and enforcement services directed
at gangs. During this process, four community meetings and a countywide youth
summit will be held to focus on gang activity and address gangs and the
associated problems including youth crime and delinquency, substance abuse,
crimes of violence, gun-related crimes, nuisance abatement, enforcement, the
community’s capacity to provide needed services and the adequate existing
infrastructure. The Sheriff’s Office will publish a report on gang activity in
Charles County and develop a three-year strategic plan to address existing gang
problems through intervention and enforcement and to prevent future gang
problems.
In September 2005, Sheriff Frederick E. Davis created a Tactical Response Squad,
which is comprised of veteran officers with a variety of training and law
enforcement experience. These officers address whatever public safety issues are
of immediate concern and their efforts will be supported by a $10,800 grant used
to purchase bicycles for the officers assigned to the squad. The bicycles will
allow officers to make quick and stealthy approaches and to be more efficient
and mobile in areas that are inaccessible to motor vehicles. The officers will
patrol residential and commercial areas and bike paths.
The Sheriff’s Office obtained a $9,651 grant to enhance the capabilities of the
crime lab. The funding will provide equipment used to enhance the quality of
digital photographs in domestic violence cases, assaults, homicides and other
incidents. Improved print quality will help patrol officers as well as the
prosecutors who present the images to juries. The equipment will also improve
the quality of latent fingerprints, which will be entered into the Maryland
Automated Fingerprint Identification System. It will also allow forensic science
personnel to transmit images via e-mail to the Office of the Chief Medical
Examiner in Baltimore, prosecutors and other law enforcement personnel. The
grant will also fund a heavy-duty Crime Lab vehicle with an on-board generator,
lighting equipment, photographic equipment and refrigeration to store biological
evidence and prevent it from deteriorating. Other equipment will allow for
latent fingerprint processing, collection of trace evidence and shoe and tire
impressions.
A $7,820 grant will fund 40 body armor vests as part of the New/Replacement Body
Armor program, which replaces vests that have surpassed the manufacture’s
five-year warranty and will provide protection for new officers who will
graduate from the Southern Maryland Criminal Justice Academy in the fall. The
important program ensures all officers have the highest level of protection.
The Sheriff’s Office domestic violence initiatives will be enhanced by a $3,000
grant. The funding will assist with overtime costs for domestic violence unit
personnel and will provide training for officer survival, warrant service,
domestic violence and Spanish classes.