B.R.A.V.E. Public Safety Plan

B — Build a culture where every person matters.

Build a culture where every employee feels seen, heard, valued, and respected. Every person matters, regardless of rank or assignment. The work we do in the community will ultimately reflect the work we are doing, or failing to do, within the Sheriff’s Office.

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Actions:

• I will begin by improving leadership, strengthening accountability, listening to deputies, addressing retention, showing our deputies they are appreciated, and building a workplace where good people want to stay and serve.

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R — Reduce Crime Through Data-Driven Deployment

This SMART on crime approach will measure success not only in our clearance rate, but we will use crime analysis to identify where violent crime, repeat offenders, motor vehicle thefts, overdoses, and other issues are occurring. We will assess how we are currently protecting and serving those areas, determine what is and is not working, develop targeted strategies, and deploy resources accordingly.

Actions: (I.E.M)

• Identify the Risk.

• Eliminate the Threat.

• Minimize the Reoccurrence.

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A — Accountable and Accessible to the Public

The Sheriff’s Office refused to cooperate with an ethics investigation, and reported 287(g) figures that

were later found to be overstated by 33%. This is a clear failure of accountability that undermines

public trust and it cannot be tolerated.

Under my leadership, we will build a Sheriff’s Office grounded in transparency, consistency, and communication. The public should receive the same level of communication and reporting following every critical incident, regardless of who is involved or where it occurs in Harford County.

Actions:

• Semiannual public accountability briefings.

• Conduct independent audits

• Enforce full compliance with the Public Information Act to guarantee transparency.

• Launch a public transparency portal to provide real-time access to data, reports, and policies.

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V — Visible Service in Every Community

With a $133M–$143.M budget and approximately 684 personnel, every community should see consistent, Regular

interaction, not just enforcement.

Actions:

• Expand and strengthen youth engagement programs—such as Badges for Baseball, while introducing new initiatives such as HCSO Summer Youth Engagement program a

HCSO Spring Youth Engagement program, and a signature “HCSO Teen Take Over” pop-up event to create opportunities and alternatives to occupy youth across the

county in controlled settings.

• Implement Monthly community engagement hours dedicated to neighborhood outreach and

relationship-building.

• Assign liaisons deputies to each community.

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E — Excellence in Staffing, Supervision, and Service

A strong Sheriff’s Office is only as strong as its internal systems and structures. The right people in the right places will deliver consistent, professional service.

 

Actions:

• Advocate for housing incentives and signing bonuses to attract and retain qualified deputies.

• Provide a robust Health & Wellness program for all employees, with critical incidents triggering mandatory appointments. 

• Strengthen training and performance evaluations to uphold high professional standards.