Pursuing Excellence

This article was submitted to Westwood Minute by Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott and is posted here in its unedited entirety. Westwood Minute takes no position on the viewpoints represented below.

By Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott

I always strive for excellence in everything I do. This is something that I also encourage those who I work alongside to do, too. I do this because I believe that excellence is worth pursuing – it pushes us to make our world better and gives us confidence that even greater things are possible. As Sheriff, I believe that a true commitment to public safety means that we must always be doing our best. This is why I ask a lot of the people who serve you in the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office, of the facilities that we operate, and most importantly, of myself, as your Sheriff.

When you believe excellence is possible, you unlock possibilities you didn’t know existed. For example, our commitment to excellence at the NCSO was recently recognized during an audit by the American Correctional Association (ACA). The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office and Correctional Center received perfect scores in both mandatory and non-mandatory standards, the first time in our agency’s history (and a rare feat for any correctional facility to achieve). These results reflect the hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence of the staff of the NCSO, and I consider it an honor to serve as the Sheriff of an agency such as this one. Audits such as the ACA’s not only validate the hard work that we are doing, but they give us insight into areas where we can continue to grow and improve as we seek to maintain our position as the premiere Sheriff’s Office and Correctional Facility in the country.

We were able to attain this score because our commitment to excellence is threaded through everything we do. This necessarily starts at the top, which is why I am requiring command staff to pursue certification in programs specific to their jobs, such as those offered by agencies such as the National Sheriff’s Association, the American Correctional Association, FBI-LEEDA (which provides leadership and management training to law enforcement professionals), the American Jail Association, and more. In addition, several of my staff are now enrolled in domestic violence intervention training, which will also allow us to serve as a training resource for local police departments and communities in Norfolk County.

Of course, our pursuit of excellence is only as good as the environment in which we work, which is why the NCSO is constantly investing in our facility to make sure it runs smoothly, efficiently, and safely. In addition, we are working with a local Norfolk County company – Prism Energy Services of Quincy – to help us understand where our facility can be more energy efficient. We are doing this in part because our mission to serve the people of Norfolk County also means doing everything in our power to conserve resources and protect the environment.

Finally, my push for excellence at the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office means nothing if I do not practice what I preach. To do my job to the best of my abilities, I, too, am constantly searching for opportunities for growth, education, and advancement. For example, I was recently chosen to be one of fifteen Sheriffs nationwide to participate in the first National Institute of Corrections Jail Administration Course, which was held in Chelmsford. The course piloted a new training curriculum for Sheriffs to help them understand and engage best practices in jail administration. I am excited to be a part of helping to develop a curriculum that will help Sheriffs across the country do their best possible work.

I am proud of the women and men who serve the public in the NCSO, each of whom are committed to our mission of public safety. And I will do everything in my power to give them the opportunity to be the best at what they do. When people are confident in their abilities, they are better able to do their best work. This makes them safer and it makes the people of Norfolk County safer, as well.

Thanks to Sheriff McDermott for his contribution to Westwood Minute.