Sheriff Chuck Jenkins sworn in for fifth term, pledges to continue department's work

Dec. 9—Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins was sworn in again on Thursday, making him the first Frederick County sheriff to serve a fifth term.

"I thought it would be easy to be up here today," Jenkins said during his speech. "But I thought about the enormity, the magnitude of serving five terms for the people of Frederick County. ... I've been elected and entrusted to serve and protect this county for an entire generation."

Roughly 200 Frederick County deputies and dozens of other attendees were packed into the Calvary Assembly of God in Walkersville to watch Jenkins be sworn in.

The deputies were also sworn in on Thursday. They stood and raised their hands, each saying their name. Frederick County Circuit Court Clerk Sandra Dalton read the oath, and the deputies collectively affirmed it.

Prior to the oaths of office, Wicomico County Sheriff Michael Lewis, a longtime friend and colleague of Jenkins, spoke to the audience. He and Jenkins were elected as sheriff for the first time in 2006, and like Jenkins, Lewis was also reelected for his fifth term this year.

Lewis reminisced about first-term sheriff school he and Jenkins attended in Colorado. He recalled invitations to the White House, where they spoke about crime, border issues and more with then-President Donald Trump.

"I learned just how passionate he was," Lewis said of Jenkins, "not just about the issues that were affecting Frederick County, but issues that were affecting our nation as a whole."

During his own speech, Jenkins spoke on the past 16 years as sheriff, but also on what to expect for the next four years.

Jenkins said he will continue to do what he's been doing for the past 16 years.

"When something works, why fix it?" Jenkins said in an interview after the ceremony.

The federal 287(g) program will remain in place, he said during his speech. The program allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to train law enforcement officers to ask 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.

This program has contributed to a decrease in crime in Frederick County, he said, and there is no question about its public safety value.

According to a state crime dashboard, the rate of Part I crimes — murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, theft, auto theft and burglary — in Frederick County decreased from 2,138 per 100,000 people in 2006 to 1,021 in 2020.

This is in line with statewide trends, the dashboard shows, in which the combined rate of property and violent crimes fell by about half, from 4,160 per 100,000 people in 2006 to 2,038 in 2020.

The same trend is similar nationally, according to the FBI's Crime Data Explorer. In 2006, the Property I crime rate was 3,826 per 100,000 people, and it decreased to 2,357 in 2020.

Jenkins said the Frederick County Sheriff's Office will also continue the fight against opioids in Frederick County. It will continue proactive and effective enforcement and interdiction — preventing distribution — of opiates, as well as continue to educate the public on its dangers.

"I've done dozens upon dozens of meetings over the years," Jenkins said in an interview after the ceremony. "I always bring it up in my conversations. So part of it is educating the public to the severity of the problem."

Jenkins said he will also continue to work with recovery groups in the county.

Jenkins is hoping that he can get construction underway for a district station in the southeast section of Frederick County. It's a high-growth area, he said, and it needs better service.

"We can better serve Urbana, Monrovia, Green Valley, New Market. So if we have a location right there, we can better serve that segment," he said.

Follow Clara Niel on Twitter: @clarasniel