Shenandoah County Sheriff s Office 2012 Annual Report 01/18/13
Court Security 2
The Sheriff s Office provides court security for the Shenandoah County Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts which includes screening for the courtrooms using the walk-through and hand-held magnetometers. In 2012, the Sheriff s Office screened over 69,500 persons entering these courtrooms. Our agency moved/secured over 3,100 persons that were brought into court for hearings or taken into custody at the conclusion of a hearing. Court staff served 600 civil papers and 9 warrants of arrest.
The Shenandoah County Jail 4
The Shenandoah County Jail booked in over 1,300 persons in 2012. The jail handled 2,855 visitors to the inmates. The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) 287(g) program processed 16 criminal illegal aliens in 2012. Twenty-Seven inmates participated in the jail s Inmate Workforce Program in 2012, allowing those inmates to pay off debt such as fines, back child support, and their room and board. Nine inmates participated in the Electronic Incarceration Program, which reintegrates qualified inmates back into the community under the supervision and guidance of the Shenandoah County Jail staff.
Administrative Staff 6
The Shenandoah County Sheriff s Office provides background checks related to the issuance of special permits and licenses, i.e., Concealed Weapon Permits, Solicitation Permits, and Pawnbroker Licenses. The SCSO completed 653 background checks for these permits in 2012. The Sheriff s Office joined with Parks and Recreation to provide a Handgun Safety Course for applicants wishing to obtain a Concealed Weapon Permit. In 2012, 226 citizens participated in the course. The agency responded to 195 requests for information this year. These requests come in the form of subpoenas, Freedom of Information inquires, vehicle crash reports, insurance requests, and victim report requests. The front office staff is also responsible for certifying birth records for the Shenandoah County Public Schools. This happens when children are being registered for school and cannot produce a birth certificate. The staff is required to run a query in the VCIN system to see if the child is wanted/missing. In 2012, the agency ran 141 queries.
Support Services 8
All legal notices, summons, orders, and other civil processes issued by the courts and regulatory offices are handled by the Civil Process Unit. In 2012, the Sheriff s Office received 13,409 legal process papers and this section served 12,260 of those papers. The Animal Control Unit is responsible for answering calls involving various domestic, farm and wild animals. These calls include, but are not limited to stray, sick, injured, and nuisance animals. In 2012, Animal Control Officers answered 1709 calls for service. This section is staffed by 2 full-time Animal Control Officers. The Auxiliary Deputy Program was implemented in 1983. Auxiliary deputies are volunteers that assist the Sheriff s Office with special activities. These activities include annual fireman parades, the New Market Battle Re-enactment, the county fair, etc. Auxiliary deputies are required to attend approximately 110 hours of classroom and practical training when they are accepted into the program. Candidates are also required to pass written and practical tests. In 2012, the auxiliary volunteered over 2,700 hours of service to the Sheriff s Office.
Crime Prevention 10
School Resource Officers (SRO) are an integral part of the day-to-day operations of the school. Some of the more frequent complaints are assault and battery, larceny of property, and drug and alcohol violations. D.A.R.E. was instructed at all three campuses and over 548 students graduated from the program. SROs handed out over 320 backpacks and school supplies to students throughout the county during Project Backpack - Back to School Supply Drive. In 2012, the Shenandoah County Sheriff s Office held it s 3 rd Annual Kids Camp at Shrinemont. This year, thirty kids attended the week long summer camp.
The Sheriff s Office is very active with women's self defense classes. Last year, 48 female students at Stonewall Jackson High School. One of our patrol deputies was selected to receive the MADD award for her work on Drinking and Driving arrests. The Sheriff s Office has had almost a decade of involvement with the Special Olympics Torch Run. We are members of the Family Youth Initiative and one of our SRO s is President of the coalition. Project Lifesaver is a proven way to reduce search time and loss of life for people that are of risk of becoming lost. Currently we have 13 clients and service all the county. Several new Neighborhood Watch groups were started in 2012 while others continued to be strongly active. TRIAD is a program that we are in our 11 TH year of educating seniors on topics of interest to them and their quality of life. We hold an annual conference with guest speakers on such topics as Medicare, Identity Theft, and Physical Therapy.
Patrol 13
In 2012, the total incidents/activity calls for the Sheriff s Office was 52,902. We have been continually processing this information to illustrate the normal workload of a deputy sheriff. We strive to maintain an environment where the public receives quality proactive and reactive law enforcement. During an incident on 16 September 2012 the suspect, John See, barricaded the driveway with fiftyfive gallon barrels and two propane tanks, as well as constructing other barricades outside the residence outfitted with loaded weapons. Sheriff Deputies took immediate action and used cover to their advantage until they were able to make contact with the female victim and safely remove her from harms way. The deputies were also able to take See into custody without incident. See s actions posed serious and grave danger to the other officers at the scene. Noted Patrol Cases of 2012 While conducting a routine extra patrol of Stone House Storage Units, a Sheriff s Deputy observed miscellaneous items outside of the storage units and called for assistance. A vehicle quickly accelerated away from the area and another deputy was able to stop the vehicle going north on Old Valley Pike. Upon interviewing the occupants, the two male individuals in the vehicle were arrested for the damage and stolen property at the storage units.
Noted Patrol Cases of 2012 On the night of 20 July 2012, Deputy T.W. Frazier was called to assist Woodstock Police Department with a 911 call involving a male with a knife attempting to enter a residence. Upon arrival on the scene, Frazier and the other officers were confronted by the suspect. While attempting to take the suspect into custody, he severely injured Frazier and other officers with the knife. The suspect s actions posed a serious threat to Frazier and others at the scene. His bravery and professionalism during this incident ended the acts of violence toward law enforcement officers and citizens.
Criminal Investigation & Special Investigation Units 16
The cases that were most frequent for investigations in 2012 were breaking and entering, narcotics violations, frauds, larcenies, and sexual assaults. The Investigations unit was assigned approximately 293 cases in 2012. Noted Cases of 2012 In February, a rash of burglaries occurred at several churches in the county. It was discovered that a large amount of lawn equipment had been stolen from area churches, as well as other items from several residences. Joseph Carroll was identified as the suspect and charged, and a large amount of the stolen property was recovered. On 12 July 2012 a breaking and entering was reported at H&R Grocery in Edinburg, VA. DNA evidence collected at the scene resulting in a DNA databank hit ultimately led to Samuel Murray being charged with Breaking and Entering, Grand Larceny, and Destruction of Property.
At least three meth labs were brought down in Shenandoah County in 2012 Seizures: More than $30,600 dollars worth of drugs were seized in various cases. 20 firearms of various types Over $140,000 dollars in property Criminal Gang Cases Initiated: 42
Awards/Recognitions Deputy Sheriff Ben DeMay- Graduated with Honors, 125 th Basic Law Enforcement Officer School May 2012 A Commendation Award was presented to Lieutenant Wesley Dellinger for graduation from the National Criminal Justice Command College (NCJCC) in Richmond, VA. Service Awards: 5 Years of Service- Rebecca Mauck, Mark Johnson, Christina Whorton, Mike Williams, Brett Harlow 15 Years of Service- Steve Shelton, Barbara Stickley 20 Years of Service- Dave Mason, Scott Proctor