Sheriff Troy D. Berry has been an officer with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) for more than 30 years. He started his career as a patrol officer and worked his way through several positions, to include detective (Criminal Investigations Division), supervisor (Patrol Division), Investigator, Assistant Commander and Commander (Internal Affairs), District Commander (Waldorf Station) and Commander (Patrol Operations). In November 2014, he was elected Sheriff, making history as the first African American to ever hold the position of Sheriff in the agency’s then 356-year history. He was re-elected Sheriff in 2018 and again in 2022. He is currently serving his third term.
Prior to joining the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Berry graduated from the College of Southern Maryland with an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts in 1991. He graduated from the Southern Maryland Criminal Justice Academy in 1992. In 2015, after being elected Sheriff, he attended and graduated from the FBI National Academy, which provides international law enforcement leadership training in the areas of staffing, budget, crime reduction strategies and administrative policies, rules and procedures. In the spring of 2023, Sheriff Berry achieved a significant milestone in his personal life and professional career by obtaining a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Safety Administration, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). He graduated from UMGC with honors receiving the distinction of Summa Cum Laude.
Under Sheriff Berry’s leadership, the CCSO has accomplished several critical achievements: Established the agency’s first Digital Forensics Unit to expedite the analysis of digital data; Secured the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) technology to the agency, which allows forensic examiners to analyze ballistic evidence quickly; Created the agency’s drone program, which aides in search, rescue and evidence collection; Introduced the Crisis Intervention Team, which helps officers diffuse problems associated with emotional or mental illness; Worked with Parents Affected by Addiction and purchased the H.O.P.E. Trailer, which helps educate parent about the dangers of opioids; Started the Citizen’s Police Academy; Increased Community Oriented Policing; Enhanced employee member’s Wellness program; and oversaw the opening of the District II Station in Bryans Road among many other projects.
Sheriff Berry has spent much of his time focusing on building community partnerships in various facets: Recognizing the heroin epidemic, Sheriff Berry established the opioid awareness message boards which track overdoses, lives lost and lives saved with the countywide naloxone program. He enhanced safety at the detention center and authorized the purchase of two body scanners and the Guardian Program, providing full-scale training for staff members. In addition, Sheriff Berry worked with members of the agency and started new initiatives: The Citizens Police Academy, annual prayer breakfast, wellness visits at all elementary and middle schools and a partnership with the Mobile Soup Kitchen of the Washington, D.C., area Chapter of Catholic Charities.
Since his first election, Sheriff Berry has also been appointed or elected to serve in the following leadership positions: President, Maryland Sheriff’s Association (2020); Chair, Maryland Police Training & Standards Commission (2020); Chair, Southern Maryland Information Center (2020); Appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to the Council of Gangs & Violent Criminal Networks; Executive Board Member of the Southern Maryland Criminal Justice Academy; and Vice Chair, End Hunger in Charles County.
Sheriff Berry has received numerous community service awards during the past several years including the Charles County Chapter of the NAACP Trailblazer Award in 2019. He has also been recognized for his outstanding commitment to service by the Charles County Board of Commissioners, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), the Maryland House of Delegates, the Department of Army, Parents Affected by Addiction, Teen Court, Charles County Crime Solvers, Center for Abused Persons and many others.
“The men and women of the CCSO and I have worked very hard to protect and serve our county. As a cohesive group, this agency has developed and implemented strategies to reduce criminal activity by 23 percent since 2014. As I stated when I was being sworn in to office in 2014, I did not run for Sheriff to make history, I ran to make a difference.”
Sheriff Berry lives in White Plains with his wife, Angela.