Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office 2011 Annual Report

Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office

2011 Annual Report

Sheriff Timothy C. Carter

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Shenandoah CountySheriff ’s Offi ce2011 State of the Sher iff Report

Mission…………………………….………………….…………………. 3

Biography of the Sheriff…………….……………………….….. 4

Courts Services………….......…………………..…………….…….5

Jail Division…….………….......…………………..…………….……7

Administrative Division……...……………………………….…. 9

Animal, Civil, and Auxiliary………………...…………………..11

Crime Prevention……………………….…….………………….….13

Patrol Division………………………………………………….…….. 16

Investigations Division.…………………..……………….…….. 18

Honors and Awards………………..……………………….…….. 21

And www.shencosheriff.com

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Mission StatementThe staff of the Shenandoah County

Sheriff’s Office will do everything possible to ensure the safety and protection of all county residents

and visitors to our county to include their respective property. The

Sheriff’s Office will at all times do good and treat people fairly, respectfully, and with dignity.


Timothy C. Carter is the Sheriff of Shenandoah County. This is his third term (2011-2015). Before he was elected in 2003, Tim served for eight years as our Chief Deputy with the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office.

During his tenure, the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office attained accreditation (2006) and re-accreditation (2010) from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission. He and his staff have acquired grant funding (over $900,000) that has provided an integrated records management system that connects all town police departments in our county, along with the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Center.

Tim graduated with a Bachelors of Science from JMU in Economics in 1985 and a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from JMU in 1994. Tim is also a graduate of the 202nd Session of the FBI’s National Academy for Law Enforcement Administrators. He has completed police executive training at the University of Louisville’s Southern Police Institute and the University of Richmond’s Professional Executive Leadership School. He has extensive training in law enforcement personnel management, budgeting and finance, and critical incident management.

He is a member of the Virginia Sheriff’s Association, National Sheriff’s Association, Virginia Chiefs of Police Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and FBI National Academy Association. He is an Executive Board member of the National Capital Region LinX Board, a criminal justice database platform.

Tim is a member and past President of the Woodstock Rotary, currently Assistant Governor of the area for his Rotary District, member of the Basye – Bryce Mountain Lions Club, and Charter member of the Strasburg Kiwanis Club. He is a member of the Board of Directors and current President of Response, Inc.; our county’s shelter for victims of domestic violence. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of Youth for Christ. He is very active and volunteers in other charitable and community service organizations. He is a member of Valley Baptist Church in Edinburg.

He is married to Karen Carter, formerly Karen Rhodes of Maurertown. They and their daughter, Mona, live outside of Maurertown.

And www.shencosheriff.com4

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Court Security

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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 2011, the Sheriff’s Office screened over 85,000 persons entering these courtrooms.

Our agency moved/secured over 1,400 persons that were brought into court for hearings or taken into custody at the conclusion of a hearing. Court staff served over 342 civil papers and 21 warrants of arrest.

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The Shenandoah County Jail

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The Shenandoah County Jail booked in over 1,170 persons in 2011. The jail handled over 3,718 visitors to the inmates.

Thirty One inmates participated in the Jail’s Inmate Workforce Program in 2011, allowing those inmates to pay off debt such as fines, back child support, and their room and board.

Five 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.

The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) 287(g) program processed 33 criminal illegal aliens in 2011.


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Administrative Staff

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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 451 background checks for these permits in 2011.

Starting in 2011, the Sheriff’s Office joined with Parks and Recreation to provide a Handgun Safety Course for applicants wishing to obtain a Concealed Weapon Permit.

The agency responded to 183 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 also is 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 2011 the agency ran 131 queries.

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Support Services

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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. Some of this training includes Use of Force, Firearms, Traffic Control, Transporting Prisoners, Defensive Tactics, and Crisis Intervention to name a few. Candidates are also required to pass written and practical tests. In 2011 the auxiliary volunteered over 1,885 hours of service to the Sheriff’s Office.

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 2011, Animal Control Officers answered 1862 calls for service. This section is staffed by 2 full-time Animal Control Officers.

All legal notices, summons, orders, and other civil processes issued by the courts and regulatory offices are handled by the Civil Process Unit. In 2011, the Sheriff’s Office received 10,891 legal process papers and this section served 10,100 of those papers. This section also attempted service or had to re-attempt service 1441 times.

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Crime Prevention

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The Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office currently has four School Resource Officers located throughout Shenandoah County’s Public School Campuses. This past year was very busy for many reasons. Student intervention talks also have risen. SROs have headed off problems before they get to a point that they would be investigated as a crime from these contacts .

SROs are an integral part of the day-to-day operations of the school. This invaluable tool to school administrators is used frequently and ranges from transports, security checks, disorderly acts, to serious incidents like bomb threats. Some of our more frequent complaints are assault and battery, larceny of property, and drug and alcohol violations.

In 2011, the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office held it’s 2nd Annual Kids Camp at Shrinemont. This year, thirty kids attended the week long summer camp.

SROs handed out over 350 backpacks and school supplies to students throughout the county during Project Backpack - Back to School Supply Drive.



Crime Prevention

Several new active Neighborhood Watch groups were started in 2011 throughout Shenandoah County.

We are very active with our women's self defense classes, and just this past fall instructed 38 female students at Stonewall Jackson High School.

We are members of the Family Youth Initiative and one of our SRO is Vice President for the coalition.

TRIAD is a program that we are in our 10TH 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. This years program is Jan 8th at the Woodstock Moose

The Sheriff’s Office has had almost a decade of involvement with the Special Olympics Torch Run. We have taken the lead as regional director, and raise money for the cause.

Project Lifesaver is a proven way to reduce search time and loss of life for people that are of risk of becoming lost or wondering due to dementia Alzheimer's, Autism and Down Syndrome. Currently we have 12 clients and service all the county.

One of our patrol deputies was

selected to receive the MADD award for his work on Drinking and Driving arrest.

D.A.R.E. was instructed at all three campuses and graduated over 459 Students.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

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Patrol

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In 2011, the total incidents/activity calls for patrol personnel was 50,370. 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.

•While on routine patrol south of Woodstock in August 2011, a larceny was caught in action by the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office. A Sheriff’s Office Sergeant observed suspicious activity at a business. A flashlight being turned on and off, as well as headlights from a vehicle pulling a utility trailer exiting the rear of the business led the officer to perform a traffic stop. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the occupants of the vehicle had been committing larcenies in Shenandoah County and surrounding counties. The investigation also found that the suspects were in possession of stolen property, as well as a stolen trailer.

•In late August 2011, the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate the larceny of two 4-wheelers, as well as other valuable belongings. The Sheriff’s Deputy in charge of the case took it upon himself to investigate the matter, to include conducting multiple interviews with possible suspects as well as following up on multiple leads that came forth. Arrangements were made to set up a dive team to search a body of water at a quarry in Shenandoah County after a tip led the Sheriff’s Office to believe the four wheelers may have been disposed of there. The investigation led to the recovery of one of the 4-wheelers and tools that had been stolen. Several criminal charges were able to be obtained for the three suspects involved in the incident.

Noted Patrol Cases of 2011

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Criminal Investigation&

Special Investigation Units


The Shenandoah County Investigators were very busy this year working our cases and assisting with several Town Police cases.

The cases that were most frequent for investigation in 2010 were break and entering, narcotics violations, fraud, larcenies, and sexual assaults.

Noted Cases in 2011


In July of 2011 the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office received numerous reports of Breaking and Entering by force all occurring between the hours of 8 am and noon on two dates. The suspects stole thousands of dollars of jewelry and several handguns. The Criminal Investigation Division launched an investigation into the crimes, including search warrants conducted in Washington County, MD in which items were recovered and identified as the stolen property from the crimes committed in Shenandoah County. Phone records were obtained by court orders which placed the suspects in Shenandoah County during the hours of the crimes. Shoe impressions recovered from several of the crime scenes were linked to the shoes that were taken from the suspects.

The suspects are from of West Virginia, and are charged with committing crimes in Maryland, West Virginia, and the surrounding counties of Warren, Frederick, Clark, and the City of Winchester. The suspects are responsible for over 30 Breaking and Entering incidents in Virginia alone.

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Noted Cases of 2011

In August 2011, the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office received thirteen reports of shootings into vehicles and a residence, as well as twenty reports of other personal property vandalism and breaking and entering incidents occurring throughout the area of New Market West. Extra patrols were established by the Patrol Division of the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the start up of active surveillance and an in depth investigation in the Investigation Division of the Sheriff’s Office. They were able to develop an informant who could purchase firearms and drugs from the suspects in the case. During the investigation, investigators purchased several firearms and drugs from the suspects; the first firearm purchased was immediately sent for forensic examination. The firearm was an exact match to the bullets retrieved at two of the shootings. The second firearm purchased was found to be a match to a firearm stolen during on the of the breaking and entering incidents. Warrants and indictments were obtained for the two individuals involved and they were both arrested.

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Service Awards5 years10 years15 years30 years


• Service Awards5 years – L. Ritenour, C. Copeland, J. Thompson,

B. Dellinger, J. Clark, R. Wilson, S. Alger10 years- L. Sherfey, S. Weaver15 years - J. Thomas, P. Watkins20 years- D. Dellinger, E. Walters25 years- W. Rice30 years - R. Sigler

• Deputy Sheriff Melissa A. Brecht- 96th Class President and Honors, Basic Jail Officers School, April 2011•Deputy Sheriff Bryan Hepner- Honors, 97th Basic Jail Officers School, July 2011

• A Commendation award was presented to Lieutenant Wesley Dellinger. Upon receiving an unintelligible call from a friend, he drove to the caller’s property to assure everything was sound. Lt. Dellinger found the caller and another victim unconscious inside a poultry house. Dellinger dragged both to safety and saved their lives.

Awards/Recognitions

Documents

Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office 2011 Annual Report