He says the 287g program should be up and running by July 1st.
Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert
Frederick, Md (KM) The scammers are at it again, according to a Facebook posting by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. This time, they’re calling residents, identifying themselves as actual uniformed personnel from the Sheriff’s Office. They tell their potential victims that a family member is in jail, and they need to pay money to get them out. They’ve also told those on the other end of the phone line that they need to pay a fine for missing jury duty, or to settle warrants or other court orders.
During a recent appearance on WFMD”s “Morning News Express,” Washington County Sheriff Brian Albert says these scammers have even used his name when calling potential victims. “And we’re never going to call and ask for money, for a warrant over the phone. That’s just not going to happen. That’s not the way we do business,” he says.
The Sheriff’s Office says issues involving court orders, jury duty, warrants or other court services are addressed in person at the Court House.
If you receive such a call, Albert says hang up, and then contact your local police. He says you’ll probably find out it’s a scam. “And it’s the same way with banks scams and bank fraud. Hang up; call your local branch, and you’ll fund out it’s a scam,” says Sheriff Albert.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office recently agreed to participate in the US 287g program. Sheriff Albert says he expects it to be up and running by July 1st, 2025. “So we have a signed agreement with Immigrations and Customs, and we have our ten deputies who are trained,” he says
But Sheriff Albert points out that this is a jail-based program. “The only way that anybody would ever get screened for immigration and have a detainer if they’re arrested for a crime, and get into our jail,” he says.
He says a person who is arrested by the Sheriff’s Office, Hagerstown Police, the Maryland State Police or other law enforcement agencies in Washington County would have their immigration status checked after they are taken to the Detention Center for processing. Albert says these suspects can only be held for 48 hours past their local charges if they have detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Sheriff Albert says the Washington County Sheriff’s Office is waiting for its training to be certified by ICE before it can be a part of the 287g program. In the meanwhile, “we are cooperating with ICE now. When the new administration took over in the White House, they have entered ICE detainers into NCIC which is the National Crime and Incident System,” he says.
The National Criminal Information Center is a computerized database used by law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to access criminal information and records. It’s maintained by the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services.
By Kevin McManus