The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office had a $72.7 million budget in the fiscal year that ended June 30. That is $6.15 million, or 9.3%, more than the year before, according to the agency’s FY2026 Annual Report, released Oct. 7.
The 38-page report covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Deputies handled 83,328 calls for service, an average of about one every six minutes. The figure includes calls from the public and stops and checks that deputies started themselves.
“Responsible management of these resources is essential for maintaining the personnel, training, equipment, technology, and services necessary to meet our community’s public safety needs,” Sheriff Steven A. Hall wrote in the opening letter.
The budget keeps climbing. The report puts the FY2027 operating budget at $77,696,349, about $5 million more than FY26.
Where the money goes
Law enforcement took most of the $72,673,115 general fund budget, which includes grants:
| Area | FY26 budget |
|---|---|
| Law enforcement | $44,989,641 |
| Corrections | $21,813,052 |
| Grants | $4,079,211 |
| Court security | $1,161,536 |
| Training | $584,975 |
| Canine | $44,700 |
Key FY26 investments included a 3% market adjustment to sworn and corrections pay scales and a 1% cost-of-living raise for all three employee groups. The budget also included a 3.66% market increase for merit employees, the second year of a three-year phase-in, and a 2.5% stipend for sworn and corrections employees at the top of their pay grade. Commissioners also approved 32 promotional ranks. The agency said it moved vacant correctional officer slots into full-time reentry, mental health and pretrial positions without adding to authorized staffing.
On the road and on patrol
Deputies made 17,792 traffic stops and wrote 6,639 traffic citations, not counting warnings. They logged 21,198 premise checks and crime-prevention patrols. They handled 646 emergency petitions, the legal process for taking someone in a mental health crisis for an evaluation.
Drug seizures were valued at $218,444.45, based on average local street prices. Crack cocaine ($60,512) and powder cocaine ($59,420) led the list, followed by marijuana, meth and amphetamines, fentanyl, heroin and PCP.
Of the unattended and other reportable deaths deputies investigated, 90% were from natural causes. Five percent were fatal overdoses, and 5% were suicides.
Thirty-nine juveniles were charged as adults in FY26, 33 male and 6 female. Maryland law allows that for some youths over 14 who commit certain crimes. This spring, lawmakers moved a bill to narrow the offenses that send youths to adult court.
The report includes charts of crimes by type, firearms incidents and crashes. Those charts are images and their figures are not in the report’s text. The sheriff has separately said domestic violence is rising while other crime falls.
Jail and courts
The county Detention and Rehabilitation Center passed the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards audit with 100% compliance across eight areas, including security, food service, housing and inmate rights. The jail holds people arrested by both the Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State Police.
Judges considered pretrial release for 885 defendants and denied it for 563, or 64%. They granted release to 322, or 36%. About 20 incarcerated people are in community treatment at any given time.
Cameras, records and the air show
Every patrol deputy now carries two body-worn cameras, so one can record while the other charges during 12-hour shifts. Deputies recorded 93,177 videos in FY26. The agency also launched a NextRequest online portal for Public Information Act requests, where requesters can track their requests and download released records.
The June 19-21 NAS Patuxent River Air Show was the year’s largest operation. About 34,000 vehicles brought an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people to the base. The agency put 13 extra deputies on duty each day and hand-directed traffic on routes 235, 246 and 4.
Other items in the report:
- The Group Violence Intervention program worked with 28 people at high risk of gun violence.
- Virtual reality training for Taser recertification saves an estimated $7,800 to $15,600 a year.
- Ground was broken in June on a Support Services Building for vehicles and equipment.
- Recruits went through five academy classes: two for deputies and three for correctional officers.
- The agency evaluated 45 to 50 vehicles and decommissioned 16.
The full report is linked at firstsheriff.com under Quick Links.
