Worcester County Sheriff's Office

Current Openings

Worcester County is the Easternmost County in the State of Maryland and is Maryland’s only seaside county known primarily for its recreational activities and tourism.  It is the only county in Maryland that borders the Atlantic Ocean, and the only county bordering both Delaware and Virginia.

According to data from the 2020 U.S. Census, the year-round population in Worcester County is 52,460. However, the resort town of Ocean City, located in Worcester County, becomes the 2^nd most populated municipality in Maryland during the summer months as it hosts between 320,000 to 345,000 vacationers, and up to 8 million visitors annually.  The county has a total area of 695 square miles, of which 468 square miles of land and 227 sq miles is water and is the third-largest county in Maryland by total area.  The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office currently has an authorized strength of just under 100 Deputy Sheriffs.

HISTORY:

The current location of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office was initially purchased in 1742, following the creation of Worcester County after breaking away from a larger Somerset County. The land, purchased as the site of the current Worcester County Circuit Court house, was bought from John Martin.  As a primary port on the Pocomoke River, Snowhill-Town (later designated as Snow Hill) would be chosen as the county seat for Worcester County.

Once the new county lines were drawn, James Martin took office as the first Sheriff.  The courthouse, which contained the Sheriff's Office, burned to the ground in 1834 and was rebuilt with brick construction immediately after the fire.  A separate jail was built immediately behind the new courthouse.  In 1893, another great fire occurred, which again destroyed the courthouse. This time, $24,000 was allocated to build the new courthouse on the same site, and $3,500 was given to build the new jail on its previous site.  The courthouse still houses the Sheriff's Office today, although the jail has been detached from the courthouse and rebuilt outside of Snow Hill.

Through the years, the Worcester County Sheriff's Office has undertaken not only civil paper service work and jail supervision, but also law enforcement patrol service.  In the early 1980s, the new detention center was turned over to Worcester County and to this day is a separate entity and not a part of the Sheriff’s Office.  As a full-service enforcement agency, the Sheriff's office now maintains 24-hour a day patrol coverage for the county.  All Deputies are responsible for enforcing motor vehicle laws, criminal laws, and handling calls for service within their assigned areas.

One of the primary duties of the Sheriff’s Office is to ensure the prompt service of all civil court process to concerned parties.  This includes all writs and levies issued by the courts.  Our Deputies conduct evictions and oversee the sale of property ordered by the courts to satisfy debt service.  This involves the service of thousands of court issued civil process during a typical year.

The School Resource Division was created in 2013 under former Sheriff Reggie Mason in the wake of the of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. The mission of the School Resource Division (SRD) is to provide a safe learning environment for all our students and staff in Worcester County Schools.  Our Deputies are trained in how to respond to and handle active assailant incidents.  Our SRD’s help to facilitate an understanding of our profession with our student and school population and strive to form partnerships with all our students.  They act as guides, coaches, mentors, and a positive role model in the lives of our children. This Division is not only critical for the safety of all our students, but it also allows for our SRDs to form lifelong partnerships with our youth.