| Office of the Sheriff, Prince George's County Prince George's County Sheriff's Office |
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| Abbreviation | PGSO |
| Patch of the Office of the Sheriff, Prince George's County. | |
| Logo of the Office of the Sheriff, Prince George's County. | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1696 |
| Annual budget | $19,429,000[1] |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | County (US) of Prince George's in the state of Maryland, USA |
| Map of Office of the Sheriff, Prince George's County's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 498 square miles (1,290 km2) |
| Population | 801,515 |
| Legal jurisdiction | State of Maryland (common law) |
| General nature |
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| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Upper Marlboro, Maryland |
| Sworn members | 270 |
| Agency executive | Melvin High, Sheriff |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Prince George's County Sheriff's Office (PGSO) provides law enforcement services in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States. Its headquarters is located in Upper Marlboro. The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of Prince George's County and is elected by popular vote of the citizens every four years. There are no term limits for the office of sheriff.[2]
Created in 1696, the traditional duties of the Sheriff are keeper of the public peace and the enforcement arm of the county court, analogous to the US Marshals Service. The PGSO has a relatively long history embedded within Maryland and the United States. The PGSO was involved with events that occurred during the burning of Washington and affected the writing of the United States National Anthem. Prior to 1931, the PGSO was the sole law enforcement organization within the county.
Today, the general duties of the Sheriff's Office include service of court-ordered warrants, writs, protective orders, and other injunctions. The Domestic Violence Unit has expanded its role in the county to include responding to calls for service that are domestic-related. The creation of the School Resource Deputy division has placed a deputy sheriff at all of the local high schools, replacing the County Police. All other law enforcement services of the county are provided by multiple agencies but mostly left to the separate Prince George's County Police Department, though some responsibilities are shared by both agencies. The PGSO, like most other county-level law enforcement agencies, is a progressive agency with an array of services from a Specialized Services Team dealing with high-risk arrest warrants and barricade situations to Community Services aiding the county citizens in safety education.
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The Sheriff of Prince George's County is the chief law enforcement official of Prince George's County per Maryland common law.[3] All deputy sheriffs are certified, sworn law enforcement officials with full power of arrest as granted by the Constitution of Maryland, the MPCTC, and the Sheriff of Prince George's County. All sworn members of the sheriff's office are agents of the state of Maryland and thus have authority throughout the entire state, although direct jurisdiction is limited to the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Maryland[4] (which includes: Calvert County, Charles County, Prince George's County, and St. Mary's County).[5]
The Sheriff's Office for Prince George's County was founded April 22, 1696. The governor of Maryland, Sir Francis Nicholson, appointed Thomas Greenfield as the first Sheriff. The St. Paul's Church in Charlestown held the headquarters for the Sheriff's Office until the 1720s when it was relocated to the town of Upper Marlboro. At the time, there was no set salary for the sheriff. Instead, he was paid in hog's head of tobacco. The headquarters for the sheriff's office was held in Upper Marlboro until 2000, when the sitting Sheriff, Al Black, moved it to Largo where it resided until August 2008. Sheriff Jackson returned the office headquarters to Upper Marlboro where it is currently located.[6]
To date, there have been two deputy sheriffs killed in the line of duty.
| Officer | End of Watch | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy First Class Elizabeth Magruder |
|
Gunfire |
| Sergeant James V. Arnaud |
|
Gunfire |
During the War of 1812, at the time of the burning of Washington, the sheriff's office became involved in an occurrence that led to the writing of the United States national anthem. As the British army marched from Washington they passed through Prince George's County. Because the residents had cooperated with the British, the commander ensured that minimal damage was inflicted upon the local residents and their property. After the Battle of Bladensburg, the British Army returned to the area of Upper Marlboro. However, this time some of the British soldiers looted local farms. A sheriff's posse subsequently arrested the offending soldiers and placed them in the county jail. Upon learning about the arrest of his soldiers, the British commander ordered the arrest of the sheriff and the posse in turn. One of the posse members was Dr. William Beam. Beam was ultimately arrested and held for ransom on a British warship. Beam's brother-in-law, Francis Scott Key, went to Baltimore Harbor in search of him. He witnessed the British fleet under attack which was the inspiration of the Star Spangled Banner.[7]
In 1929, due to an increase in population and crime, Prince George's County created a separate police department. Prior to this time, laws allowed detectives to be used on loan from the Baltimore City Police Department. The newly created police department allowed the Sheriff's Office to focus its manpower on enforcing orders of the court.[8]
On August 29, 2002, Sergeant James Arnaud and Deputy First Class Elizabeth Magruder were killed in the line of duty while trying to serve an Emergency Petition Service (EPS, a court-ordered psychological evaluation) on James R. Logan.[9] At around 9:30 pm, Corporal Arnaud and Deputy Magruder were at the residence of James Logan in Adelphi, MD. While attempting to serve a petition for a psychiatric evaluation, Logan suddenly fled to a back bedroom. When Arnaud and Magruder chased after him, Logan fired at the deputies. Arnaud was shot in the neck and Magruder was shot in the back of the head. Logan fled the scene and was apprehended two days later by undercover officers. Logan was initially tried and convicted in 2003. Two years later in 2005, the decision was overturned on appeal and Logan attended a second trial. Logan was subsequently convicted again and sentenced to 30 years. Arnaud was posthumously promoted to Sergeant. Magruder was posthumously promoted to Deputy First Class.[10][11]
On February 16, 2008 at approximately 3:30 am, a PGSO SWAT member was shot and critically wounded while serving a warrant as part of a task force with the US Marshals. The suspect, Aaron M. Lowry, was wanted for the shooting of a Washington, DC Police Officer from the day prior. The injured deputy was flown to Baltimore Shock Trauma Center where he had surgery and was upgraded to serious but stable condition.[12]
As of 2011, the Sheriff's Office is headed by Sheriff Melvin High, presently on his first term. The agency is also unique among other Maryland counties in that it has both a sheriff's office and a county police. Along with its traditional duties as the enforcement arm of the court, the Sheriff's Office responds to all 9-1-1 calls that are domestic-related within District III, has a Deputy (School Resource Deputy) assigned to each of its 20 high schools but recently those duties will be transferred back to the Prince George's County Police Department and has authority to enforce traffic infractions anywhere in the county.[13][14]
The sheriff is elected by the citizens of Prince George's County. The rank structure of the remaining members of the Sheriff's Office is modeled after the U.S. military. The ranks of student deputy through corporal are non-competitive. sergeant through captain are competitive. Lieutenant colonel (Assistant Sheriff) and colonel (Chief Assistant Sheriff) are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of the sheriff.[14]
The PGSO is divided into three bureaus:[15]
Court services is based out of the court complex located within the municipality of Upper Marlboro and is responsible for the safety and security of the circuit court in Upper Marlboro, transportation of inmates, and to provide assistant security and law enforcement services to the District Court in Upper Marlboro and Hyattsville, as well as domestic violence liaison services. The Bureau of Court Services is subdivided into four sections: Circuit Court, District Court, Transportation, and Building Security. Specifically, the bureau is responsible for the safety and security of the 7th Judicial Circuit for the State of Maryland and the District Court for Prince George's County located within the court complexes and adjacent property in Upper Marlboro and Hyattsville. Yearly, between the Circuit Court, District Court, Transportation, and Building Security Sections, the bureau transports an average of 31,000 prisoners, effects 700 warrant and warrantless arrests, and interviews over 8,000 victims of domestic violence[16]
Field Operations is based out of the Largo Substation and is charged with: Civil/Landlord & Tenant, Domestic Violence Intervention Unit (DVIU or DV Unit), Warrant/Fugitive Squad, and Child Support Enforcement. The Civil section is responsible for service of criminal and civil summonses, and other court-ordered writs. The Landlord and Tenant (L&T) Section is responsible for notification of delinquent rent and/or mortgage payments/foreclosures, and court-ordered evictions. The section receives approximately 10,000 writs for non-payment each month.[17] The Domestic Violence Intervention Unit's primary responsibility is response to domestic-related 9-1-1 calls, court-ordered psychiatric commitments, and ex parte protective order service.[18] The Prince George's DV Unit was the first in the state of Maryland and the first to operate on a 24-hour basis, and is considered a nationally-recognized model.[19] The unit receives on average over 1,200 orders per month, the highest in the state.[20]
Administration is based out of the main headquarters located in Upper Marlboro and contains the School Resource, Public Information Office (PIO), Recruiting, Training, and Internal Affairs. The Public Information Office (PIO) also operates an Explorers Post,[21] Prince George's County Sheriff's Office Explorer Post #1696 for Prince George's County youths between the ages of 15 (or 14, provisionally) and 20. The sheriff and his command staff operate out of the Sheriff's Office complex located in Upper Marlboro. Most of the civilian support personnel also work out of this facility providing administrative duties such as NCIC monitoring, teletype (TTY), uniform and supply, criminal warrant research and organization, as well as other administrative duties as directed.[22]
The Special Operations Division (SOD) is responsible for specialized and specific services. The division is commanded by an assistant bureau chief and has different teams specifically responsible for: SST (SWAT)-response, executive and witness protection, riot control, crisis negotiations, intelligence gathering, motorcycle escort, and ceremonial duties.[23]
Sworn personnel below the rank of captain and all civilian employees are represented by the Deputy Sheriffs' Association/Fraternal Order of Police, Maryland Lodge 112 (DSA/FOP 112). The DSA/FOP is a labor union that provides collective bargaining, legal assistance, and charitable efforts for the membership.[26] The current president of the union is Stan Moore.[27]
| Rank | Insignia | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sheriff | The Sheriff is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of Prince George's County, Maryland and is accountable to the citizens. The Sheriff's rank insignia is a single gold star. | |
| Colonel | The Chief Assistant Sheriff of Prince George's County is the second in command and handles the day-to-day operations of the Sheriff's Office. The Chief Assistant Sheriff's rank is Colonel, and is symbolized by a silver eagle. | |
| Lieutenant Colonel | The Assistant Sheriff (Bureau Chief) is the third in command and has the responsibility of his/her bureau's day-to-day operations. The Assistant Sheriff's rank is Lieutenant Colonel, symbolized by a silver oak leaf. | |
| Major | The Deputy Bureau Chief was fourth in command, designated as the Deputy Bureau Chief, and served under the Bureau Chief (Lieutenant Colonel). The rank insignia of a major was a gold oak leaf. | |
| Captain | The Assistant Bureau Chief serves under the Bureau Chief (Lieutenant Colonel) and is in command of one or more Divisions. The rank insignia is symbolized by two connected gold bars. | |
| Lieutenant | The Division Commander may serve as an acting Captain and is directed by the Assistant Bureau Chief. The rank insignia is symbolized by a single gold bar. | |
| Sergeant | Squad Sergeant, may serve as Acting Lieutenant, is in charge of a squad of Deputy Sheriffs at the rank of Corporal and below. The sergeant's rank is symbolized by three gold chevrons on a black background. | |
| Corporal | Supervisor, colloquially "9-car", may serve as Acting Sergeant and has a rank symbolized by two gold chevrons on a black background. | |
| Deputy First Class | Time-in-rate promotion | |
| Deputy Sheriff, Private | Recruits successfully completing the Police Academy are appointed as Deputy Sheriffs, Private. | |
| Student Deputy | Title of trainees while attending the Police Academy |
The Prince George's County Sheriff's Office uses a fleet of Chevrolet Impalas (2003–present models), as well as some Chevrolet Luminas (1999–2001 model), and Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors. The transportation unit uses specialized Chevrolet or Dodge vans. The Motorcycle unit uses Police Edition Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The paint scheme of the PGSO marked cruisers is a white base paint with brown striping with the word "SHERIFF" emblazoned on the side. The light bars are the slim Whelen Generation II LEDs with Red and Blue colors. The Domestic Violence Intervention Unit has all marked vehicles with Panasonic Toughbook computers assigned to the cars.[25][28]
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