I am running for Sheriff to continue my commitment to Anne Arundel County, and put in place the modern law enforcement practices needed to address public safety issues facing the Sheriff’s Office. I am a current, active commander in the County Police Department, with 26 years of experience, primarily in supervision, management and administration. My command experience includes, Homeland Security & Intelligence, Corruption Investigations, Emergency Preparedness, Task Force Operations, Personnel (hiring & recruitment), Budget, Purchasing, Technology, and Media Relations. I have managed millions of dollars in law enforcement budgets, and am the former Assistant Commander of the Eastern District police station, which is roughly the size of the current Sheriff’s Office.
The Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office and the Anne Arundel County Police Department serve two very different functions in our communities. The police department is charged with responding to citizen calls for service, investigating all crimes in the county, and managing critical law enforcement incidents. The Sheriff’s Office is charged with securing and protecting the Circuit Court in Annapolis, housing and serving warrants in the county, and serving civil court orders. As a modern law enforcement leader, I will institute best practices in the areas of Operations, Program Management, and Homeland security, not for the sake of change, but to make the work environment safer for Deputies, and to make our citizens safer.
There are two significant issues facing the Sheriff’s Office: More than 11,000 un-served warrants in this county, and Circuit Court security that is not up to post 9/11 standards. As your Sheriff, these will be top priorities in my administration. I have managed programs, already utilized in Maryland and throughout the country, that will stem the tide of increasing warrants and make the courthouse a safer place for citizens. These programs include, use of current technologies to track and locate criminal wanted subjects, and the integration of modern strategic planning models to bring new technologies into the Sheriff’s Office, without costing taxpayers millions of dollars to replace old technologies all at once. Recent fiscal audits by the County uncovered significant management deficiencies regarding record-keeping, recovery of fees, and federal grant billing for child support enforcement. These findings were nothing short of unacceptable, and I will ensure modern program management practices will eliminate those deficiencies.
As a life-long citizen of this county, a husband of 30 years, a father to three adult children, a former high school coach, an active community member, and a current County law enforcement officer, I am fully dedicated to making Anne Arundel County a safer place to live and work. I am a Republican who supports the Second Amendment and the ability for law-abiding Marylanders to carry firearms. I strongly support the 287G immigration plan to screen Detention Center inmates for immigration status, and I will vehemently oppose attempts by law-makers to turn Maryland into a sanctuary state. I have spent a significant amount of time learning, understanding, and investigating how MS-13 affects our schools and our communities, and I will fight any efforts to weaken the ability of law enforcement to protect our citizens. I believe in term limits for public officials, and I strongly support Governor Hogan’s efforts to enact legislation to restore trust in elected office through additional measures of accountability. Public officials must be accountable for their actions and I will be a Sheriff that citizens can trust. I am the only life-long, Anne Arundel County Republican running for Sheriff in the June 26 primary election, and I ask for your support and your vote. Thank you.
–Jim Fredericks
Note: Jim Fredericks is a candidate for Sheriff in Anne Arundel County. We encourage all readers to learn all they can about the candidates that will appear on the ballot. Here is a link to Fredericks’ website.
