Candidates for sheriff.
Tom Falcinelli
Education: Good Counsel High School, 1978; University of MD, BA 1982; Howard University School of Law, 1985. Member of Maryland and Federal Bars
Employment: Dual Career: Police Sergeant, Montgomery County Police, 1985 to present, Sergeant since 1997; Attorney, Bay and Falcinelli, Rockville, MD since 1987; retired football official – worked all levels to include Arena, NCAA and ended with NFL; currently Director of Officials for the IFL (Indoor Football League), a nationwide indoor football league. http://www.goifl.com/about-the-ifl/ifl-staff
To answer your question as to why my candidacy matters to Potomac residents?
One reason only: To return Montgomery County Police officers to your Potomac neighborhoods during the overnight hours, rather than forcing them to perform the duties of the Sheriff’s Department. Do you really care who the Sheriff is? The answer is probably “Not really. What do the Deputies do, anyway?” Although there are many reasons I should be elected, I will provide one monstrous reason for Potomac residents to be concerned with who operates the Sheriff’s Department.
I have been a midnight supervisor in the Rockville/Potomac area since 1997. Since then, your county police officers have been taken out of your Potomac neighborhoods at night, to conduct routine transport (taxi) service for prisoners between the Rockville Jail, Clarksburg Jail, and Shady Grove Hospital. In addition, your county police officers must guard all prisoners in the hospital in excess of one, as the Deputies will only guard one prisoner. Potomac officers are assigned this task because the Rockville jail is located in one of the Potomac police beats, Baker One. If the citizens were aware that almost every night, police officers are stripped out of their neighborhoods in Potomac, leaving these neighborhoods uncovered, so that the officers can conduct taxi service between the aforementioned facilities, they would care who was running the Sheriff’s Department. Under the current and past Sheriff regimes, nothing has been done to rectify this issue. You can speak to any midnight officer or supervisor in the Germantown (where the Clarksburg jail is located) or Rockville police districts, to verify this constant drain of police resources. If you check the Sheriff Department’s website, you will learn that the first “duty” mentioned under “Duties” are “Court security and prisoner transportation.” It should add “only during daylight hours, because the police will do it for us, overnight.”
Why should you elect me?
Do not elect me because of my exemplary qualifications (extensive education; advanced degrees; vast experience as an attorney and businessman; 29 years of experience working as a cop on the streets of Montgomery County). Elect me for the reason that I will put Montgomery County police officers back where they belong at night. In your Potomac neighborhoods, looking for the thieves who break into your cars and homes. When I am the Sheriff, the deputies will be performing the transports and guarding of prisoners, 24/7. Your midnight county officers will be able to return to patrolling your neighborhoods overnight. They will thank you for putting them back where they belong. In your neighborhoods. Elect me because the Deputies themselves, have overwhelmingly endorsed me, not my opponent, for this position. This alone should speak volumes to the public. I recommend you visit my website Falcinelli4Sheriff.com
Sheriff Darren Mark Popkin
Sheriff Darren M. Popkin was elected as Montgomery County’s 61st Sheriff on Nov. 2, 2010. Prior to his election Popkin spent 12 years as Chief Deputy, directing the daily operations of the Sheriff’s Office. During his 27-year law enforcement career, Popkin rose through the ranks, serving in the Sheriff’s Office transportation, civil and criminal divisions.
Sheriff Popkin received a B.A. degree in law enforcement from the University of Maryland, College Park, and graduated from the former Robert E. Peary High School. Popkins's off-duty passion has included coaching boys' and girls' softball and basketball teams in local leagues and national tournaments. He was an active basketball player in the Montgomery County adult athletic league.
A family man and life-long county resident, Popkin lives in Olney with his wife and their three children. Their son attends Montgomery County Public Schools, and their daughters are recent college graduates.
Sheriff Popkin has extensive involvement in major law enforcement policy making and professional organizations including: President and Board of Directors member, Maryland Sheriffs' Association; Past Chair and current board member, Montgomery County Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission; Member, National Sheriffs’ Association; Member, International Association of Chiefs of Police; Member, Fraternal Order of Police; Member, Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff's Association; Special Deputy, U. S. Marshal's Service; Graduate, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS); Board of Directors, Montgomery Hospice.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, established in 1777, has a diverse workforce of 148 sworn law enforcement officers and 29 civilians providing a wide range of judicial, law enforcement, and domestic violence intervention services for almost one million Montgomery County residents.
Sheriff Popkin has assigned deputies to participate in the U.S. Marshals Service, Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, to enhance the Sheriff’s Office ability to apprehend fugitives that have fled from Montgomery County.
In cooperation with the Montgomery County Police and Montgomery County Schools, Popkin recently initiated Sheriff’s Office participation in the School Resource Officer Program, by assigning a deputy sheriff on a full time basis to the Magruder High School campus. The school principal, staff, students, and parents have been extremely supportive and appreciative of these outreach efforts.
Popkin played a crucial role in planning an innovative crime prevention program designed to reduce the incidents of domestic violence in Montgomery County. He was a member of the initial strategic planning committee responsible for designing and implementing the interagency Montgomery County Family Justice Center (FJC) which opened in May 2009 and has since provided assistance to more than 6,000 victims of domestic violence. Popkin continues his executive management role with the FJC.
Popkin plans to continue providing fair and impartial law enforcement services using a diverse work force. He plans to extend the Family Justice Center’s domestic violence reduction program to include educational programs that encourages healthy teen interpersonal and dating relationships.
Popkin expanded the Sheriff’s Office participation in the county’s gun violence reductions efforts with assignment of a deputy from the domestic violence unit to the Montgomery County Police Firearms Investigative Unit. Typically, when a domestic violence protective order is issued, the respondent in the order is temporarily prohibited from possessing firearms. Cross-assignment of a domestic violence deputy to the FIU facilitates effective enforcement of the domestic violence court orders.
With the advent of the Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC) statewide information technology project, he intends to update Sheriff’s Office management systems and processes to integrate with the MDEC system. A firm believer in using innovative technology to enhance communication, Sheriff Popkin can frequently be found on social media providing updates on recent law enforcement matters.
Popkin has developed cooperative working relationships with federal, state, and local governmental public safety leaders that directly improve the efficiency and effective delivery of public safety services to our community. His extensive executive leadership experience in effectively managing the Sheriff’s Office; leadership of the statewide Maryland Sheriffs’ Association; and participation of the Joint Legislative Committee of the Maryland Sheriffs and Police Chiefs has given him an in-depth involvement in major statewide public safety decision making that will improve delivery of essential services to our community.