McDowell aims to 'build bridges' in run for sheriff

Jul. 6—Editor's note: The Frederick News-Post is profiling candidates for various public offices in Frederick County leading up to the July 19 primary election. More profiles are to come.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Dan McDowell was inspired to enter law enforcement. Now, he wants to use his nearly 20 years of police experience to focus on community outreach in his run for Frederick County sheriff.

McDowell, a political newcomer, is running against fellow Democrat Karl Bickel. The winner of the primary will face off against Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, who is unopposed on the Republican ticket, in the Nov. 8 general election.

"It's time for a fresh face and a fresh start," McDowell, of Frederick, said in an interview.

McDowell is a corporal in the crime scene unit at the Frederick County Sheriff's Office. He joined the sheriff's office in 2005 and worked in patrol until 2015. He then joined the community services unit for about two years before moving to crime scene work.

McDowell started as a police officer at 34 years old in Takoma Park, where he worked for about three years. Prior to that, he worked as a heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanic.

If elected, McDowell said, his first priority would be to restore the sheriff's office to full staffing. At a June 15 debate, McDowell said FCSO had about 22 vacancies.

"We need to get the deputies on patrol fully staffed, so that they can get back to community policing," he told the News-Post.

For McDowell, filling those positions with diverse staff is a "big deal." His wife is from Guatemala and his children are biracial.

He wants to build bridges with the community, especially minority communities. He supports hiring bilingual deputies and having a staff that matches the demographics of Frederick County.

FCSO has drawn criticism for its partnership with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE). The 287(g) federal immigration program allows ICE to train law enforcement officers to ask about the immigration status of those booked at jails. In Frederick County, only correctional officers are trained to ask about the immigration status of inmates at the Adult Detention Center.

McDowell said he is "skeptical" of 287(g). He said the program has its benefits, but he wants to learn more about the criteria for a person to be deported.

"I don't know if that benefit outweighs the fear that it creates to the Latino community in Frederick County," McDowell said. "And being somebody whose wife is Hispanic, I wouldn't want any of my family members or any my wife's family members to feel like they were in fear of the police because of a program like that."

He said he would have to look at the program as sheriff to decide whether it should continue.

McDowell's past work in outreach has influenced how he sees community policing. In the community services unit, he attended neighborhood watch meetings and spoke with residents about their concerns.

As sheriff, McDowell said, one of his first goals would be to appoint a community services deputy.

Tackling illegal drug use is also a top priority for McDowell. He wants to bring a heroin recovery program to Frederick County that was used in the Chesterfield County Jail in Virginia. The program was featured in a Netflix series, "Jailhouse Redemption."

Reducing stigma surrounding drug use is important to McDowell. While working in community services for FCSO, McDowell said, he and health department officials presented a film to community members, "Chasing the Dragon," that showed how addiction can affect people.

McDowell also participated in the Be Safe program, which he said aimed to help people with intellectual disabilities interact with police. Be Safe was offered monthly to students through Frederick County Public Schools' SUCCESS Program, he said.

McDowell is hopeful he can take his community policing experience and use it to connect with others.

"I honestly believe that if we can get a hold of these communities that have issues with law enforcement, and we can build some bridges with them, and work together on these issues, then we're gonna have a stronger community at the end of the day," he said.

Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller