Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron announces an “All Hands Holiday Patrol Operation” scheduled for Friday, December 16, 2016, between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. The Holiday Patrol operation will commence with a public “Roll Call” in the Walmart Parking Lot in California, Maryland, where the Command Post will be stationed throughout the evening.
As part of the Holiday Patrol Operation, Sheriff Cameron has instituted a “Maximum Deployment” initiative in which approximately thirty to thirty-five additional deputies, typically not assigned to the uniformed division will participate. These include Command Staff and personnel from the Administrative Division, Criminal Investigations Division, Vice/Narcotics, Warrant Unit, K-9 Unit, and the Southern Maryland Information Center. This additional deployment will focus on enhanced traffic enforcement, theft detection and prevention, robbery decoy operations, warrant service operations, Vice/Narcotics overt and covert drug detection, and neighborhood saturation patrols.
Sheriff Cameron explained, “The purpose of these operations is to increase public safety by creating a high-visibility police presence in our residential and business communities. We anticipate that our presence and direct action will deter those who might engage in crimes such as theft, assaults, and burglaries to motor vehicles.”
Putting training skills into practice, Sheriff Cameron has also added a mental health component to the deployments. Deputies who have undergone extensive Crisis Intervention Team training will be teamed with Behavioral Health Liaisons to patrol areas where data shows an increase in mental health crises. The deputies will be available to use their training to de-escalate the situation and provide the individual with a warm hand-off to the Behavioral Health Liaisons.
“We are using all available resources and data to strategically deploy our personnel as part of our ongoing efforts to provide a safe holiday experience for the members of our community,” Sheriff Cameron said.
