For too long we have allowed our own County Sheriff’s Office to avoid accountability while:

• Lawsuits are filed against the Sheriff's Office

• Black and brown Frederick residents are pulled over at four times the rate of fellow residents who are white

• Deputies are leaving the sheriff’s department to work for less pay at alarming rates; and

• Over 1500 non-violent immigrants have been deported and separated from their families.

Enough is Enough. Frederick citizens have the ability to demand and implement more public oversight over our own Sheriff’s Office to ensure a culture of transparency and public safety.

Please let your councilmembers know you support oversight of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office by the signing this petition for an independent audit of the Sheriff's budget:

The County Executive and County Council have a responsibility to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent in the furtherance of the peace, good government, health, safety and welfare of the County and on all subjects that have been delegated to the County under the Maryland Constitution and by the laws of the state.

According to Article V, Section 514 Composition and Limitation upon County Funds provided in paragraph (d) of the Frederick County Charter, “…The Council shall authorize by law any contract, lease, or other obligation in excess of $20,000 that would obligate the County to appropriate funds in the Operating Budget for more than a single fiscal year. The amount of $20,000 for such contracts, leases or obligations may be revised by law from time to time, but no more frequently than annually, and may not be less than $20,000.”

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) first entered into the 287(g) agreement with ICE in 2008. That agreement is up for renewal this year and, if implemented, it will impact the County Budget in fiscal year 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The expenses to Frederick County are unknown, not included as a separate and reviewable line item in the budget of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office and based upon FCSO personnel expenses, alone, are reasonably estimated to exceed Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000) annually.

The residents of Frederick County demand transparency and accountability in where and how our tax dollars are spent. We demand an external, independent audit of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department.

Please let your councilmembers know you support oversight of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office by signing this petition for an independent audit of the Sheriff’s budget.