The La Plata Police Department Salutes Long Serving Maryland Law Enforcement Official and Current Sheriff of Prince George’s County Melvin High During #BlackHistoryMonth:
Melvin C. High Prince George’s County, Office Of The Sheriff. He is serving his third term as elected Sheriff, having been sworn in for his first term as Sheriff on December 7, 2010. As Sheriff, he is responsible for leading, managing and commanding more than 300 deputies and civilians in safety and crime prevention efforts to protect and serve the citizens of Prince George’s County. Sheriff High also serves as principal advisor to the County Executive regarding police and public safety matters.
Preceding his service as Sheriff, Melvin High served as the appointed Chief of Police for Prince George’s County. He was appointed to this position and served from 2003 through 2008. In this capacity, he led the Nation’s 32nd largest local Law Enforcement Agency in the delivery of basic law enforcement services to a Metropolitan County of nearly 900,000 residents and served as the principal advisor to the County Executive on public safety.
As Police Chief of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Sheriff High, quickly resolved U.S. Justice Department complaints relative to citizen allegations of improper and abusive use of force. He instituted constitutionally compliant methods and “best practice” approaches to policing while reducing crime four of the six years of his tenure.
Prior to joining the Prince George’s County Police Department, Sheriff High served as Chief of Police for the city of Norfolk, Virginia. During his ten-year tenure, Sheriff High developed Norfolk’s first community policing initiative, PACE (Police Assisted Community Enforcement), which resulted in crime reduction each year of his administration except 1995.
Sheriff High also introduced crime prevention strategies such as CRO (Community Resource Officers), SRO (School Resource Officers), Police Cadets, mobile office programs, and the expansion of tactical crime prevention efforts. He also revised recruitment and retention strategies that brought the Department to full staffing, and increased the number of women, African Americans and civilian professional staff. Chief High raised the educational levels of the Department, with a number of members holding master and doctoral degrees.
From 1969 until 1993, Sheriff High was a member of the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.C., where he retired as Assistant Chief of Police, and second in command. As the Field Operations Officer in Washington, Sheriff High was responsible for citywide crime prevention, criminal investigations, and the safe management of hundreds of annual parades, festivals, demonstrations, and protests regarding national government issues. Security arrangements for President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration were among Sheriff High’s responsibilities. He was also responsible for the implementation of D.C’s first community policing initiative, CEP (Community Empowerment Policing).
Sheriff High received a mayoral citation for commanding the successful investigation and apprehension of a serial killer known as the “shotgun bandit”, who terrorized the District for three months in 1993. He also received a letter of appreciation from President Bill Clinton for services to the visitors and citizens of Washington, D.C. (1993).
Sheriff High is the recipient of numerous awards including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Life Institute’s “Real Dream” award in 1998. He received the W. Garner Community Service Award in 2001 from the Norfolk chapter of the NAACP.
Sheriff High is a member of NOBLE (National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives), IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police), the Association of FBI National Academy Graduates, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Hampton Roads Chiefs of Police Association, and the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association.
His public service activities include: Chairman, City of Norfolk’s United Way Campaign (2001); Chairman of the Virginia Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement 1998 Torch Run to raise funds to support the Virginia Special Olympics; Alumni Board Member of CIVIC, a Hampton Roads organization of community, business and professional leaders dedicated to the improvement of the region; Chairman, Taskforce on Safe and Drug Free Schools, 200+ Men, Hampton Roads Chapter; and Chairman of the Recruitment and Retention subcommittee of the Norfolk Literacy Partnership.
Sheriff High holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Tennessee State University (1966). He taught high school science in Mississippi until he was inducted into the Marine Corps in 1967, and served in Vietnam. He also holds a Master’s degree in Business and Public Administration from Southeastern University in Washington, D.C. (1980). Sheriff High has completed graduate work in Criminal Justice Administration and Behavioral Science and Management at American University, the University of Virginia and George Washington University. He is a graduate of the Contemporary Executive Institute at George Washington University, the Senior Executive Institute at University of Virginia, and the FBI National Academy. He served as an adjunct professor of Criminal Justice Administration at the University of the District of Columbia in 1993.
The Men and Women of the La Plata Police Department Salute Sheriff High and appreciate the leadership he has provided in Maryland law enforcement for decades.
