In the office of Baltimore Sheriff John W. Anderson hangs an autographed photograph of former Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who first appointed Anderson to the role in 1989. There are plaques and trophies and photos of the sheriff with political leaders from his decades in office. There is even a bible marked with sticky notes on the sheriff’s glossy desk. But one thing you will not find in Anderson’s office is a computer.
“This is the way I operate,” said Anderson, 75, the state’s longest serving sheriff. “If I need something, I have Ms. Ware. She’s capable.” Indeed his assistant, Jaqueline Ware, functions as a sort of human Alexa, hurrying to the sheriff’s inner sanctum to field questions– for example, how many deputies are currently in the department?– scurrying to her desk to look up the figure on her computer, and returning with the answer: 105.
Anderson is running for his ninth term as sheriff, a position that many city voters give little thought to. But his challenger, Sam Cogen, a former top deputy, would like to change that. Cogen, 48, believes that the sheriff’s office could and should take a more active role in reducing violent crime in the city, in part by adopting modern technology to make the office more efficient.
“People don’t know who the sheriff is. They don’t know what the sheriff’s office does. There’s a lack of accountability. There’s a lack of transparency. Other jurisdictions have modernized their sheriff’s offices,” said Cogen. “Why haven’t we?”
But Anderson believes the sheriff’s office is running just fine. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said.
The powers of a sheriff vary widely by county. In some places, the sheriff is the sole law enforcement power.
The tradition of an elected sheriff stretches back hundreds of years, according to Patrick Royal, a spokesperson for the National Association of Sheriffs.
The tradition of an elected sheriff stretches back hundreds of years, according to Patrick Royal, a spokesperson for the National Association of Sheriffs.
In Maryland, as in many other jurisdictions, there are no limits on the amount of time a sheriff can hold office.
Cogen, however, believes it is time for new leadership in the sheriff’s office.
In Maryland, as in many other jurisdictions, there are no limits on the amount of time a sheriff can hold office.
Cogen, however, believes it is time for new leadership in the sheriff’s office.
In the office of Baltimore Sheriff John W. Anderson hangs an autographed photograph of former Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who first appointed Anderson to the role in 1989. There are plaques and trophies and photos of the sheriff with political leaders from his decades in office. There is even a bible marked with sticky notes on the sheriff’s glossy desk. But one thing you will not find in Anderson’s office is a computer.
“This is the way I operate,” said Anderson, 75, the state’s longest serving sheriff. “If I need something, I have Ms. Ware. She’s capable.” Indeed his assistant, Jaqueline Ware, functions as a sort of human Alexa, hurrying to the sheriff’s inner sanctum to field questions– for example, how many deputies are currently in the department?– scurrying to her desk to look up the figure on her computer, and returning with the answer: 105.
Anderson is running for his ninth term as sheriff, a position that many city voters give little thought to. But his challenger, Sam Cogen, a former top deputy, would like to change that. Cogen, 48, believes that the sheriff’s office could and should take a more active role in reducing violent crime in the city, in part by adopting modern technology to make the office more efficient.
“People don’t know who the sheriff is. They don’t know what the sheriff’s office does. There’s a lack of accountability. There’s a lack of transparency. Other jurisdictions have modernized their sheriff’s offices,” said Cogen. “Why haven’t we?”
But Anderson believes the sheriff’s office is running just fine. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said.
The powers of a sheriff vary widely by county. In some places, the sheriff is the sole law enforcement power.
Cogen retired from the sheriff’s department in November, because he thought it would cause a distraction if he were campaigning against his boss, he said. He serves as president of the South Baltimore Neighborhood Association and is the public safety chair of Federal Hill Main Street.
Anderson grew up in Baltimore and graduated from City College High School in 1965.
Cogen strongly believes that better technology would help the sheriff’s office run more effectively. The office uses paper time sheets to track hours, xeroxed papers to set schedules and software that has been largely unchanged since the 1980′s, he said. Information about warrants is entered by hand in spreadsheets that are not cross-linked. That means that deputies might be assigned to serve a domestic violence order at a particular address and not be aware that there is an outstanding bench warrant at the same address. Moreover, he said, the current system does not flag repeat violent offenders. Deputies are not informed if the person to whom they are slated to serve a warrant has a history of violence. In additon, at any given time, there is a backlog of at least 1,000 warrants.
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