The Stafford Sheriff’s Office presents its first-ever Year in Review for 2016. The review highlights the many accomplishments of the Sheriff’s Office in the last twelve months. These accomplishments include a special visit between the Sheriff’s Office and President-elect Donald Trump, increased community partnerships, the implementation of new state-of-the-art technology as well as upcoming initiatives including body cameras, a new drone program and enhanced training for staff and citizens. A look ahead at upcoming challenges is also included.

Last year marked the first year in office for Sheriff David P. Decatur, who was elected Sheriff in 2015 after rising through the ranks over a 29-year career in the department. During his campaign, Sheriff Decatur promised to build on the legacy of excellence established by previous sheriffs. Thanks to the support of the Stafford Board of Supervisors, public safety staff and the diverse Stafford community, Sheriff Decatur has not only carried on that legacy but has enhanced his staff’s focus on implementing Innovations in Excellence in an effort to keep Stafford’s citizens as safe as possible.

“We focused on five key areas in 2016 to help infuse intentional excellence into the daily behaviors of our staff,” Sheriff Decatur said. “We invested in our people, increased partnerships with our community, promoted safety with technology, implemented new crime-fighting initiatives, worked to enhance our professionalism and dedicated ourselves to excellence as a daily practice -- as part of our culture and in our DNA.”

The Year in Review package consists of a short video showcasing the highlights of the year and a PowerPoint that provides more details on each of the focus areas. Both presentations are available on the Sheriff’s Office website at www.staffordsheriff.com.

“The past year’s accomplishments are due to the efforts of the entire community,” Sheriff Decatur said. “Engaging our citizens in the work of public safety was a recurring theme in 2016. In a time when the national spotlight focused on challenging relationships between law enforcement and citizens, our Year in Review is a testament to our strong and trusting partnerships with our community, and a reflection of our efforts to enhance transparency and accountability to those whom we serve. Everyone in Stafford deserves credit for making 2016 a successful year for our community.”

For more information on the Year in Review, please contact Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer M.C. Morris Moncure at 540.658.4468.