Albemarle County: Police department, sheriff’s office announce working agreement

The Albemarle County Police Department and Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office have entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding spelling out duties on temporary detention orders, prisoner extraditions and search-and-rescue operations.

The MOU, which takes effect today, comes weeks after Albemarle County Sheriff Chan Bryant terminated a previous working agreement with the police department, saying her office was not equipped to deal with the demands of the working agreement that had been in place regarding transports for mental-health patients under temporary detention orders.

Bryant had lobbied the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in the spring budget cycle for funding for four additional sheriff’s deputies, saying they were needed to be able to handle the demands from TDOs, but was rebuffed.

In the new MOU, the police department agreed to take on the responsibility for temporary detention orders, in addition to post-conviction fingerprinting services and storage of evidence, and the PD will assist ACSO with after-hours oversight of the Virginia Criminal Information Network terminal.

The sheriff’s office, per the MOU, will handle prisoner extraditions, data entries for court-generated documents, and courtroom warrant services, and will remain a resource for ACPD to utilize for search-and-rescue operations within Albemarle County.

“The dissolution of the prior MOU has provided an opportunity for both the police department and sheriff’s office to re-evaluate our roles, identify common ground, and strengthen our partnership. This new agreement will ensure that we continue to serve our community with greater efficiency and effectiveness,” said Col. Sean Reeves, chief of the Albemarle County Police Department.