St Mary's County Sheriff

The office of the St. Mary's County Sheriff is the oldest in the state of Maryland and one of the first in the United States. The office traces its history to Sheriff James Baldridge in 1637. Many accounts agree that this is the first documented evidence of a sheriff in the United States. At the beginning, the office of the St. Mary's County Sheriff was an appointive one. The Maryland Constitution of 1776 changed the office to an elective one. The sheriff was then authorized to appoint an under-sheriff, much like today's deputy. The office's uniform and marked police vehicles were developed in 1966. At that time, the St. Mary's County Sheriff progressed from a part-time, on-call service to a full-time, full-service law enforcement agency. St. Mary's County Sheriff divisions include administrative, bureau of criminal investigations, corrections, patrol and special operations. St. Mary's County is comprised of approximately 367 square miles with a population of nearly 96,550. That total leaps to 127,000 with the inclusion of daily commuters and tourists.