Ronnie Stotler is running for Morgan County Sheriff.
Ronnie Stotler
He will be facing off against Wade Shambaugh and KC Bohrer in the May 10 Republican primary. No Democrat has entered the race.
Stotler, 51, is a lifelong resident of Morgan County.
For 27 years he has worked with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. He currently is a Major at the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland, where he commands 190 officers that oversee the safety, welfare and human confinements of a population of over 1,400 maximum security inmates.
Stotler says that if elected Sheriff, he will “establish a citizen’s advisory council consisting of not more than 10 members from various communities throughout the entire county.”
“I will meet with them monthly, thus providing the citizens of Morgan County direct input and communication with their concerns and problems or issues that are occurring within our community,” Stotler said. “I will step up patrols in those areas of concern to protect and better serve the people of Morgan County. It’s time for the Sheriff’s Office to progress to the level of deserved and expected professionalism and accountability while protecting and serving the citizens of Morgan County. With your help, as your sheriff, we can work together to make this possible. I ask for your support and vote in this endeavor.”
Stotler said he will also “implement a long overdue operational and policy manual for all sworn personnel, which will provide the deputies with guidance, protection and accountability in the course of performing their duties, as well as their behavior while off duty.”
“This manual of operation will be patterned after a national accredited sheriff’s office in the region,” Stotler said. “This manual will address such issues but not limited to the use of force, drug use, high speed pursuits and documentation of all activities. The use of force is the greatest threat to law enforcement today and first in the news across the nation. Proper policy will assure the safety of both the officers and the citizens of Morgan County, while still accomplishing our mission.”
Stotler said that the drug abuse problem “wreaks havoc in our families, communities, schools, while affecting all of our human services.”
“It overloads our prisons and seriously diminishes our abilities to meet the many challenges of today’s society,” Stotler said. “Each of us know someone who has been adversely impacted by the chronic availability of drugs in this county. I will work closely with federal, state and other local law enforcement officials to more effectively combat this number one problem that plagues our county. As to the sheriff’s office. I will implement a random drug testing program for all sworn personnel, inclusive to myself. This will serve to protect them, as well as establish credibility for the sheriff’s office.”