SOLOMONS—On Wednesday March 16th, 2016 the 5th Grade D.A.R.E. graduation at the Our Lady Star of the Sea was held. Nine 5th Graders celebrated completing the 10 day elementary school "Keepin' it REAL" curriculum. They were joined by family, Sheriff Mike Evans, retired Sgt. Mike Bomgardner, and other fellow D.A.R.E. instructors. This was the third graduation for DFC M. Robshaw at the Our Lady Star of the Sea and the first for DFC W. Beisel. The graduation opened with a few words from DFC Robshaw about the importance of making safe and responsible choices and applauding the parents in doing a great job raising their children thus far. Following DFC Robshaw was a talk from Sheriff Mike Evans, who talked about the importance of the D.A.R.E. program and about his future visions of expanding the D.A.R.E. program into all the Calvert County School. Retired Sgt. Mike Bomgardner, the guest speaker, talked about the importance of the D.A.R.E. programs as well, and the importance of being responsible and making the right choices.
At the graduation, three students from the graduating class were given an opportunity to read their D.A.R.E. essays. The D.A.R.E. essays gave students the opportunity to reflect on what they learned during D.A.R.E. DFC M. Robshaw awarded the three essay winners with their own stuffed DAREN the Lion. The D.A.R.E. graduating students were then awarded with a certificate of completion from the D.A.R.E. program by Deacon Chris and Mrs. Shaw. DFC Robshaw gave the final speech to the graduating class congratulating them on their accomplishments and told the graduating class to always remember to make safe and responsible decisions in life because you never know what the future holds.
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge recognizes Sheriff Cameron and the Men and Women of the Sheriff's Office
M. Hinckley, FBI Baltimore’s Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Branch, Major John Horne, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. (Submitted photo)LEONARDTOWN—The weekly COMPSTAT meetings held by the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office generally revolve around emerging crime trends, but the latest meeting was focused on valuable partnerships. Last Wednesday, Sheriff Tim Cameron hosted a visit from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Baltimore Division.
The Sheriff's Office serves as a satellite office for the FBI Baltimore Division, and Scott M. Hinckley, FBI Baltimore's Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Branch, and FBI Public Affairs Specialist Dave Fitz stopped by to thank Sheriff Cameron and his team for their continued support and strong partnership.
Stationed at a satellite office at the Sheriff's Office headquarters in Leonardtown, the resident special agent acts as a liaison between the Sheriff's Office and the FBI. The Special Agent assigned to Southern Maryland operates in partnership with the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) and has been working and assisting with cases in this area since as early as 2004, before being permanently assigned in January of 2012.
Hinckley thanked members of the Sheriff's Office for their valuable support of the resident agent and the collaborative working relationship.
"I appreciate everything you do on the front lines," Hinckley told the deputies, "and you work extremely hard to keep the community safe. The threats facing our communities require more than ever close collaboration between the FBI and all our local and state partners. St. Mary's County citizens are very well served by this collaboration."
The resident FBI Special Agent is available to be used as a resource for all members of the Sheriff's Office; Patrol, CID, and Narcotics.
Caption: (L-R) Scott M. Hinckley, FBI Baltimore's Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Branch, Major John Horne, St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office
Calvert County Sheriff's Office K9's Jax & Wolf to get body armor
PRINCE FREDERICK—Calvert County Sheriff's Office K9's Jax & Wolf will receive bullet and stab protective vests thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Jax & Wolf's vests are sponsored by Friends of Dogwood Acres Pet Retreat of Davidsonville, MD and will be embroidered with the sentiment "Gifted by Friends of Dogwood Acres Pet Retreat". Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 1,700 protective vests, in 49 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.6 million dollars. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.
The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.
The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1,050.00. Each vest has a value between $1,795—$2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There is an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.
Left: DFC. Funchion and K9 Jax. Right: DFC. Morder and K9 Wolf.