Office of Child Support Enforcement Unit
In conjunction with the Circuit Court for Harford County and the State of Maryland, Department of Human Resources and the Office of Child Support Enforcement, the Sheriff’s Office has created a six (6) member Unit responsible for handling the court process dealing specifically with child support issues. The Unit is funded by a reimbursement grant administered through the State of Maryland, Department of Human Resources, and a one-third matching payment by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Responsibilities of the Office of Child Support Enforcement Unit include service of Circuit Court Summonses, Circuit Court Arrest Warrants, and related execution of Circuit Court Warrants and Body Attachments. These primarily come from the Circuit Court for Harford County, but may also come from other Maryland jurisdictions as well as from other states.
Office of Child Support Performance Measures FY-08
| Warrants | Summonses | |
|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Year Goal | 446 | 932 |
| Actual Served | 592 | 1031 |
| Goal to Actual | +33% | +11% |
2008 OCSE Unit
- Lt. James Eyler
- Sgt. Douglas Keithly
- Sgt. Charles Schruefer
- DFC Carl Stambaugh
- DFC Deborah Monroe
- DFC Daniel Wood
- DFC Billy Withrow
- Renee Gnacyk
- Michelle Williams
In 2008, despite personnel shortages, the Office of Child Support Enforcement Unit was able to exceed grant performance objectives for the service of warrants by 32% (serving 592 warrants), as well as the service of summonses by 11% (serving 1,031). Therefore, the Unit Citation is awarded to the members of Office of Child Support Enforcement (OSCE), in recognition of their superior performance during 2008
The Office of Child Support Enforcement Unit is responsible for courtroom security for all paternity hearings, as well as executing any warrants issued because of contempt of court. On the third Tuesday of every month, the Harford County Circuit Court holds a Paternity Day where a variety of paternity and non-support issues are heard. The morning court docket includes paternity establishment hearings in which the court establishes paternity either through admission of the parents or through genetic testing. Contempt hearings are also held in the morning to establish new work histories and update the Office of Child Support Enforcement files with current residence information. The afternoon docket is reserved for contempt of court cases only, where a Circuit Court Judge presides over caseworkers’ contempt claims against “Deadbeat Parents”. Contempt cases are the result of noncompliance issues including changes of address, change of work status, failure to pay court ordered child support, and failure to appear for court hearing dates. A violation of any of these requirements may result in jail time for the offender.