History of the Office of the Sheriff
Montgomery County, Maryland
The Beginning
Duties
Recent Changes
History in England and the United States
Former Sheriff's Of Montgomery County
The 1990's brought about substantial changes in the Sheriff's Office. Most
Sheriff's Deputies now wear uniforms and drive marked vehicles. Since the early
70's, deputies have received entry level training certifying them as Police
Officers in the State of Maryland. Starting in the early 90's, all deputies
receive entry level police training at the Montgomery County Police Training
Academy as part of the police recruit class. A Deputy Sheriff is assigned to the
academy staff as a coordinator and instructor. This integration into the academy
training has created a close and bonding relationship between the Sheriff's
Deputies and Police Officers and has strengthened the camaraderie between the
two agencies.
Many new functions have necessitated new sections and divisions within the
office. In the early 90's the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office formed its
first canine team. A German Shepard named "Odum" was purchased, and
along with its handler were sent to the United States Capitol Police Canine
Training Academy. The team's primary training focused on explosive detection but
also received street training. The team graduated number two in their class, and
were recognized for graduating with the second highest score in the history of
the training academy. Odum was used for courthouse security and was called out
to respond to bomb threats within Montgomery County. Odum has since passed and
his handler retired, but a new team has been formed to continue their work.
On November 18, 1995 the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office became the first
Sheriff's Office in the State of Maryland to receive accredited status from the
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. This milestone
demonstrated that the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office voluntarily met all
applicable national standards established for law enforcement agencies.
July 1, 1996, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office embarked on a program
funded by a State Grant, and created a formal Child Support Section. This
section was staffed and supplied, including furniture and vehicles, by grant
funds. For the first time, deputies were dedicated to the service of child
support summons and warrants.
As a result of increasing numbers of reported domestic violence and sweeping
changes in the law in the 90's, the Sheriff's Office on June 3, 1996 established
a formal Domestic Violence Section committed to the prompt service and
enforcement of orders that provide safety to victims of domestic violence. July
1, 1997 saw the first time the Sheriff's Office budget exceeded 8 million
dollars. A new function that was responsible for the rise above this historic
mark, was entry level security screening for the Judicial Center. A contract
security guard company was hired by the Sheriff's Office to operate the new walk
through magnetometers and x-ray machines.
On October 15, 1998, eight Russian Marshals visited the Montgomery County
Sheriff's Office as part of an exchange program to teach former communist block
countries about American legal procedures. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals
picked the Sheriff's Office to host the visiting law enforcement officers. The
group was sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development, to see how
marshals are used in the justice system so that the Russians could apply it to
their own organizations.
The Sheriff's Office has reached many milestones and will continue to do so
in the new millennium. Raymond M. Kight, the current High Sheriff, is the 73rd
person to be elected to the highest Law Enforcement Office In Montgomery County.
