Baltimore County, Montgomery County and Baltimore City set to get new sheriffs

There’s a new sheriff in town. Well three, actually, across the region.

Last week, sheriff’s candidates in the Democratic primary in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Montgomery County — Sabrina Tapp-Harper, Clyde Boatwright and Will Milam — either beat incumbents or will replace longtime predecessors.

All three have aspirations to modernize the office in their jurisdictions by recruiting more deputies, prioritizing domestic violence response and increasing accessibility to the public.

“I can let you in on a secret,” Boatwright said in a recent interview at a Pikesville coffee shop. “I’ve known about [Tapp-Harper and Milam’s] runs and they’ve known about my run since before any of us were candidates.”

Boatwright is president of the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police. Milam is vice president. Boatwright used to work for Tapp-Harper with the Baltimore City Schools Police.

In Maryland, where people live determines whether their primary law enforcement agency is the sheriff’s department or the police department. In more rural counties such as Harford and Carroll, the sheriff is the top cop — an authority that dates to medieval England, where sheriffs reported to the king.

In Baltimore City and Montgomery County, the sheriff’s office is responsible for court security, evictions, transporting inmates and serving warrants. Also, Boatwright said, he wants the county constables — the men and women who staff Baltimore County District Court but are not law enforcement officers — to report to the sheriff’s office instead of a district court administrative judge.

Boatwright, 48, said he wants to build a regional coalition with Baltimore City and Montgomery County, along with other areas contiguous to Baltimore County such as Harford and Carroll counties.

“I look forward to working with and sharing resources and being a force amongst the region,” Boatwright said.

There are no Republicans registered to run in November’s general election against Tapp-Harper or Milam. In Baltimore County, Boatwright will face Republican Michael Burke in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1.

Baltimore

The change at the city’s sheriff’s office began in 2022, when Sam Cogen unseated his former boss, longtime Sheriff John Anderson. Anderson, then 75, had held the position for more than 30 years and famously eschewed technology. Cogen, a former commander, led a wave of change by making social workers available during evictions and making the sheriff’s office more visible in the community.

Last week, Baltimore voters mixed things up again, ousting Cogen in exchange for Tapp-Harper. Like Cogen, Tapp-Harper is a former commander in the office and worked alongside her predecessor during Anderson’s tenure. She is the first woman elected to the office.

The race between Cogen and Tapp-Harper was a grudge match of sorts. Tapp-Harper filed a discrimination suit against Cogen after he dismissed her early in his term. Each sat for a deposition during the campaign.

The race was also personal for Tapp-Harper’s biggest backer: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. Cogen backed Scott’s opponent, Sheila Dixon, during the mayoral race in 2024 and likened the mayor to a bear trying to eat him.

Although Cogen had a fundraising advantage, Tapp-Harper prevailed by emphasizing her experience as a Black woman in law enforcement — a message that internal polling found resonated with residents. Targeted mailers sent to voters over 50 reinforced that message, as did photos of Tapp-Harper in uniform on her campaign signs.

Tapp-Harper’s agenda mirrors Scott’s. She hopes to include representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services in the eviction process and partner with the mayor on his violence reduction program.

Baltimore County

Boatwright, who held a commanding 3-to-1 lead over his closest challenger, said he wants to revolutionize the sheriff’s office.

“Currently there’s a culture ... that you retire from the police department and go to a sheriff’s office for a retirement job,” he said. “Well, we’re going to change that culture in Baltimore County.”

The sergeant in Baltimore City Schools Police is on track to win the Democratic nomination and, in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans by 2 to 1, would become Baltimore County’s first Black sheriff.

Boatwright would replace 78-year-old R. Jay Fisher, who has been in office since 2002. Boatwright’s mission to modernize an office operating with 27 deputies at 40% capacity starts by prioritizing recruitment, he said. He also wants to establish a 24-hour domestic violence unit and designate deputies to serve court-ordered paperwork.

And the details matter. Boatwright said he wants to replace the department’s five “old, Freddie Gray-style wagons,” referring to the police van in which Gray was fatally injured after being arrested in the city in April 2015.

The FOP president acknowledged that many of his goals are contingent on lobbying a newly elected nine-member County Council for a bigger budget. The county allocated $7.6 million to the sheriff’s office out of its $5.2 billion budget in 2026. By comparison, the Baltimore County Police Department received more than $306 million.

Boatwright said implementing 21st century policing practices will make Baltimore County a safer and more attractive community for people to raise their families.

“People make those decisions based on whether or not they feel safe,” he said. “It’s not about if they’re actually safe. It’s about: Do they feel that way?”

Montgomery County

Milam soundly defeated incumbent Maxwell Uy in the Montgomery County sheriff’s race. Milam will replace the county’s first Asian American sheriff when he takes office in December.

The sheriff’s office employs more than 125 deputies and has a budget of about $33 million.

Milam’s campaign was endorsed by UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, the union that represents deputies and civilian employees at the sheriff’s office. Last year, it declared a vote of no confidence in Uy and endorsed Milam. The union also accused Uy of creating a culture of fear and dysfunction and mismanaging a shortfall of about 30 sheriff’s deputies last year.

Milam’s campaign received more than $51,000 in donations from police labor groups throughout the state. The campaign in total collected more than $124,000 in donations, according to campaign finance reports.

Milam said he will prioritize addressing the office’s culture and tackling staffing issues, which he called his biggest challenges.

“If we are successful at addressing the workplace culture and turning around morale, that will fix the staffing issues that we are facing,” he said.

Milam wants deputies to respond to 911 domestic violence calls, which police do now. Such calls are among the most dangerous for law enforcement officers. He also wants to create a behavioral health unit to respond to court-issued psychiatric orders.

Widespread support from deputies, Milam said, indicates they’re up for those tasks.