2009 Annual Report

January 13, 2010

2009 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY:

As Sheriff of Washington County, I am extremely proud and honored to have completed the third year of my term serving the citizens of this great County.

I am equally as proud of the continued achievements and improvements accomplished by all members of the patrol, corrections and administrative divisions of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2009 the entire country dealt with the declining economy and our agency again faced another year of budget cuts. We accepted that challenge by applying for and being awarded many state and federal grants. These special funds allowed our agency to provide additional effort and services in the following areas: Underage Drinking, Operating Under the Influence, High Visibility, Speed Enforcement and Seat Belt Safety. Also, we were able to receive additional funding to purchase equipment such as computers, radar units and GPS devices.

Shawn Donahue, Scott Francis and John Preston joined our full time patrol division during 2009. Each of these officers came with full academy qualifications and two had several years of experience and numerous specialty certifications providing valuable knowledge and contributions to the overall agency. Being that drug related crimes are still plaguing the residents of our county, we assigned two additional officers, Richard Rolfe and Ralph Pineo to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. The Washington County division is now completely staffed by a total of three assigned officers from our agency.

Chief Deputy Michael St. Louis was chosen by the Maine Sheriff’s Association and awarded Manager of the Year for 2009. This distinguished honor was the first time ever being given an administrator of our agency. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a monetary gift for a Safe Driving Award for the previous calendar year. Mary Zidalis received the Deputy of the Year award from the American Legion Post 8 in Cherryfield. Several of our officers received specialty trainings and certifications in the areas of K9 Tracking/Trailing, School Violence Response, Accident Reconstruction and SWAT 1 & 2.

During 2009, our department responded to 4,325 calls for service. Faced with the dwindling financial resources, it is with great pride to announce that according to the 2008 Uniform Crime Reporting statistics, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office received the highest clearance rate of crimes reported and solved by any sheriff’s office for the entire State of Maine. We also conducted numerous arrests for non-compliant sex offenders with our county. This type of commitment to providing outstanding services to our citizens has set a high standard for the rest of the State.

In conclusion, I want to express my sincere appreciation to the citizens of Washington County for their continued support and thank them for allowing me the privilege to serve as the Sheriff of Washington County.

Respectfully Submitted,



Donald G. Smith

Sheriff
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2008 Annual Report

2008 Annual Report

DONALD G. SMITH

Sheriff

MICHAEL A. ST. LOUIS

Chief Deputy

Paula Johnson-Rolfe

Administrative Assistant

February 5, 2009

REPORT TO THE CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY:

I have completed the second year as Sheriff of Washington County and am proud of the continued improvements and achievements obtained by all facets of both the patrol and the correction divisions. During the past year, all members of the full time patrol and most part time patrol were trained in crisis intervention. This is an extremely useful tool in providing exceptionally service to the citizens of Washington County. We have made great strides in utilizing computer programs to bring all aspects of law enforcement and corrections services together and streamline services. Additionally, we have created a new website, www.wcsheriffsoffice.com. I would encourage you to visit this site for additional links and information.

Joining our full time patrol division this past year were Brandon Parker and Richard Rolfe. These officers come well qualified with several specialty certifications in providing more services to fellow officers and the public.

Also in 2008 the following employees were promoted: Michael Anderson – Sergeant Corrections, Justin Doran – Corporal Corrections, John Fuller, III – Sergeant Patrol, Travis Willey – Lieutenant Patrol and Michael Crabtree – Lieutenant Patrol. Receiving awards in 2008 were: Luther Choate and R. Lester Seeley – Deputy of the Year from American Legion Post 8.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office along with the State Police Troop J were recognized by Commissioner Anne Jordan and the Maine Department of Public Safety for “Outstanding Teamwork and Cooperation”. This was the first time a sheriff’s office had been recognized by the Department of Public Safety at their annual award ceremony.

The Sheriff’s Office applied and received several grants including Speed Enforcement, Operating Under the Influence and Seatbelt Safety. We were extremely successful in all operations and set the standard for the rest of the State.

In 2008, our department responded to 4,560 calls for service. Attached you will find a breakdown of the calls for service by location. Our civil process division provided service on 2,439 papers and we processed a total of 188 protective orders. All of these service totals have gradually risen as each year passes.

Finally, I would like to thank the citizens of Washington County for their support and it continues to be a privilege to serve you.

Respectfully Submitted,

Donald G. Smith
Sheriff

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