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Lt. Sarah Smith was promoted to Captain Monday, making her the first woman captain in the history of the agency since 1637.
ST. MARY'S COUNTY, Md. — You don't often see women in the top positions at most law enforcement agencies, but that's starting to change.
St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office announced Monday the promotion of Lt. Sarah Smith to Captain, making her the first woman captain in the history of the agency since 1637.
Smith started at the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office as a high school intern in 1999 through the criminal justice program. She then became a deputy sheriff for the department in February 2005.
"We're finally here. She did it. We just came along for the ride," Sheriff Hall said on Monday during Capt. Smith's promotion ceremony.
Smith worked in the Patrol Division for two years before becoming the Domestic Violence Coordinator for the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) in 2019.
"I'm excited for the opportunity," Capt. Smith said. "It's an honor to continue working as the Southern Region Patrol Commander." Capt. Stephen Simonds is the Northern Region Patrol Commander.
In the next year, Smith became the violent crime/property crime detective within BCI.
In 2013, Smith returned to the Patrol Division at the rank of Sergeant and worked her way up to Lieutenant in 2021.
"It doesn't go unsaid that this promotion comes from the hard work of the female supervisors that came before me," Capt. Smith said.
Smith wasn't the only promotion of the day, Cpl. Austin Schultz was also promoted to the rank of Sergeant on May 1. He joined the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office as a Correctional Office in 2007.
Then became a deputy sheriff on April 15, 2011. Sgt. Schultz serves in the Criminal Intelligence Unit in the Criminal Investigations Division.
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