USTASC Employee Blog

BODY CAMERAS This is a reminder that body cameras SHOULD ALWAYS BE WORN AND ACTIVATED (if issued) when approaching an unknown, suspicious, or potentially otherwise aggravated situation (upset citizens, loud parties, arguments, etc.). Remember, you must always advise persons when approaching, "This is being recorded on audio and video".  A body camera can save you a lot of trouble and heartache in the future if activated on time during an incident. 

It is now a mandatory policy that all visitors to headquarters MUST PRESENT GOVERNMENT ISSUED IDENTIFICATION prior to admittance. This includes all guests of employees who pass through the doorway. The ID must be xeroxed and/or stored via a photograph or scanner and may be returned to the individual. The copy is kept on file indefinitely. Those who refuse to present ID CANNOT NOT BE ADMITTED. Unknown persons, who do not have an appointment, ARE NOT TO BE ADMITTED through the doorway under any circumstances. This does not apply to uniformed delivery drivers or USPS employees. Police officers, without a warrant, are only admitted on a case by case basis by the Chief of Operations. -By Order of Chief E. Avnet

College Party Legality - Entry I asked the Wicomico County States Attorney's Office to provide some clarification for those officers working on the college housing sites, specifically in reference to entering apartments during parties.  I was concerned about the legality of entering a residence without the consent of the owner. Typically, this would be considered a 4th amendment violation if the police conducted such entry without a 4th amendment exception. This means that the police cannot enter a residence without the express consent of the owner unless there is a hot pursuit, exigent circumstances (clear destruction of evidence), or an emergency (shooting, domestic, medical, burglary, open door, etc). If they do, anything they observe that is criminal is suppressible in court under fruits of the poisonous tree.  Security officers, however, do not have police powers and are not governed by the constitution. That is to say that citizens have no constitutional prot...

For those that are off of their probationary period (106 days) OR in an armed position, it's with great pleasure that we are now offering patrol vests that are available for ordering through USTASC for $250.00. The actual cost is $499.99. If you want to order this vest, we will split the cost of the vest with you as long as you are employed by USTASC. USTASC will pay $250.00 and you will pay $250.00. The vest will come with titles such as "MD.P.I. INVESTIGATOR DETECTIVE" for detectives and "USTASC OPERATIONS or USTASC PATROL OFFICER" for patrol operations. It will also include a name tab. The titles are velcro and can be removed. We will debit your payroll $100.00, $100.00 and then $50.00 for each payroll period until you reach $250.00. If you decide to leave the company, you can either keep the vest, minus the company titles, by us debiting your final payroll the remaining $250.00 or we can purchase the vest from you, if in good condition an...