Gary Morton will challenge incumbent Chuck Jenkins in the GOP Primary.
Gary Morton, candidate for Frederick County Sheriff
Frederick, Md (KM) There’s another candidate running for Frederick County Sheriff in 2026. Gary Morton has officially filed to run next year. He will be campaigning as a Republican.
So far, he and incumbent Sheriff Chuck Jenkins have announced they’re running for office. Jenkins has not formally filed his candidacy with the Maryland State Board of Elections.
Prior to filing as a candidate, Morton says residents had asked him several times if he was planning to run for Sheriff. “A call from the men and women in the department and people in the community just inquiring as to whether I have ever thought about running for Sheriff. which I have thought about it numerous times,” he says. “I feel like there’s a need for a change in the Sheriff’s Office, a new face.”
Morton served in the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for 35 years. He started out in 1980 as a correctional officer; and then in 1985, became a deputy. He says he rose up the ranks from corporal, to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and retired as a major. Morton says he oversaw the Operations Bureau. In his last year, Morton says he was part of the Administrative Division. He retired in 2015.
Since his retirement, Morton says he’s worked as a background investigator for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, and he’s involved with Camp Ezri, which is a ministry for at-risk youths based in West Virginia.
He’s 63 years of age, and has been married for 40 years.
If he’s elected, Morton says he would like to address a few problems with the Sheriff’s Office. “Certainly look at retention,” he says. “There’s been a lot of commanders that I’ve noticed have left the department. A lot of other people that are considering leaving. With things like that, that’s a concern to me. And some of the things that I would like to see re-implemented, I think I could come back and re-spark that change that needs to be.”
At one time, the Sheriff’s Office had its own police academy, and Morton says he wants to bring that back. “We have worked very hard to establish that with our coordinators and all the men and women that were participating in training. I was one those people who was an instructor at the academy. Periodically, I taught hostage negotiations there.”
He said a police academy is part of investing in your people. “And if you’re pouring into the people you’re investing in, I just think it’s important to maintain that. And, unfortunately, that was one of the things that was let go under this current administration,”: says Morton.
Morton also says there were certain positions that are no longer there such as a grants coordinator and a CALEA coordinator. CALEA stands for Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.. It a credentialing authority in the US which accredits public safety entities such as law enforcement agencies, training academies, communications centers and campus public safety agencies, according to its website.
When asked about the 287g program, Morton says he supports its. “We want our schools, we want our streets, our communities safe. If there’s a criminal element that needs to be addressed, we’ll support that. I support the 287g,”: he says.
The Sheriff’s Office participates in the 287g program with the Department of Homeland Security, It allows personnel at the Adult Detention Center to determine the immigration status of individuals arrested and brought to the center for processing. If there’s here illegally, these individuals can be turned over to federal authorities.
When it comes to running an agency like the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Morton says it’s all about teamwork. “When I left the department, I felt like I was well-respected and that the men and women of the agency respected me and worked under my command for quite some time. I have a relationship with these people,” he says. “It’s not a one-man thing. It’s not just one person who reaps the benefit of being a leader there. It’s a team effort,”: he says.
The 2026 primary is Tuesday, June 30th. General election day is Tuesday, November 3rd.
By Kevin McManus