Left: Col. Gregory Carlevaro; Right: Maj. Dale Stonesifer. (Photos courtesy HCSO)
Two key members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office command staff are set to retire this summer, including Sheriff Jesse Bane’s top deputy.
Col. Gregory Carlevaro, the agency’s chief deputy and overseer of the Harford County Detention Center, and Maj. Dale Stonesifer, who leads the Investigative Services Bureau and has held the rank of major longer than any other current member of the command staff, will retire effective July 1, the sheriff said in a message to agency employees.
“From a personal perspective, this is a great loss for me and for this agency,” Bane said in the message, which appears in full below. “They leave shoes that will be difficult to fill. However, I wish them every success as they pursue what has been a dream of theirs for a number of years. I am grateful for the time I had their counsel and for the number of years I shared working with them in this agency. There is much I learned about leadership from both of them and for this I will be eternally grateful.”
Carlevaro, 62, joined the Sheriff’s Office in October 1975 after four years of military service; under agency guidelines which count that time in uniform, he will retire with more than 40 years of service. He has served as chief deputy since Bane took office in 2006.
In his retirement, Carlevaro said he intends to pursue a teaching career. He has taught classes at Harford Community College since 2003, and recently applied to become a professor of criminal justice there.
“I always said, I really would like to teach when this police thing is over,” Carlevaro said. “That’s what I really want to do, before I get too old to do it.”
Carlevaro said his teaching efforts are supported by decades of real-world experience.
“It feels good when you take what you do for a living into the classroom, it’s a good marriage,” he added. “When you tell those stories, and see the students’ eyes light up, it’s a great feeling.”
Stonesifer, 52, will also embark on a second career that stems from a part-time job he picked up alongside his Sheriff’s Office duties. Stonesifer will join R.L. Oatman and Associates, a Towson-based executive protection and risk assessment firm he began consulting with 18 years ago.
After 27 years of service, Stonesifer said he hoped to make a full 30 with the Sheriff’s Office before retiring and joining the small protection firm full-time. But a recent opening there led to a job offer that changed his plans.
“It was a tough decision,” he said. “But if I didn’t take it now, I might lose out on an opportunity I’ve been working toward for 18 years.”
Among his achievements, Stonesifer cited his work as co-project director of the new Southern Precinct which opened in 2012, and his attendance at the FBI National Academy in 2009, a selective program which included attendees from around the world.
Carlevaro said he was most proud of his work in establishing the Special Warrant Execution Team in the early 1990s, during which he led a small cadre of deputies who served a large number of backlogged warrants over three months. He also pointed to his role shortly thereafter in establishing the Interagency Processing Center at the Detention Center, which modernized the county’s booking process and allowed patrol deputies to return to the road more quickly.
“It [an arrest] used to take a deputy off the road for five or six hours,” he said. “It was a huge deal when a deputy could make an arrest, drop that person off, and be back out on the road.”
With the retirements of Carlevaro and Stonesifer, the remaining Sheriff’s Office Command Staff consists of Correctional Services Bureau Major Tanya Jackson, Services and Support Bureau Major Christina Presberry, Professional Standards Bureau Major Christopher Swain and Police Services Bureau Major Doug Verzi.
Following the March 2012 retirement of Major Michael Capasso, Carlevaro acted as warden of the Detention Center in addition to his other duties—completing a circle started four decades earlier when he began his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer. Prior to the announcement of Carlevaro’s retirement, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Edward Hopkins said last week that a search is ongoing for a new warden; if that person is a civilian employee, they would be the first in the position since the November 2011 retirement of Elwood DeHaven.
Hopkins said the process of finding Stonesifer’s replacement is already underway. Carlevaro said he expected Bane would move to find a new chief deputy quickly, and said he hoped to be able to work with that person directly before officially retiring. In both cases, Hopkins said the process involves one-on-one interviews with the sheriff, who would appoint individuals to the positions.
Memo sent to agency employees from Sheriff Jesse Bane:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with mixed emotions that I announce the retirements of two members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office who have dedicated the greater portion of their lives in service to the citizens of Harford County and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. They have been key players in my administration and they have given their hearts and their souls into moving this agency forward. To say more is not my story to tell at this point; any questions or concerns should be directed to them as you wish them well in their next careers.
Colonel Gregory Carlevaro and Major Dale Stonesifer today announced that they will be leaving the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. Their retirements are effective July 1, 2014.
From a personal perspective, this is a great loss for me and for this agency. They leave shoes that will be difficult to fill. However, I wish them every success as they pursue what has been a dream of theirs for a number of years. I am grateful for the time I had their counsel and for the number of years I shared working with them in this agency. There is much I learned about leadership from both of them and for this I will be eternally grateful.
Sheriff Bane
Greg and Dale sadly will be remembered by being puppets during the last 7 years of Jesse Bane’s administration. NO one wants their legacy to be what these two have done before they retired. It’s really sad that years of great police work were wiped away by treating people like crap and turning your back on them for the last years of your career. I hope that Greg and Dale make the best of their last days and wish them luck. Now let’s all pray that Jesse Bane doesn’t promote Major Presberry she should have never made it to the rank she is at. If he does it is because of her race and sex bottom line.
If either of these two had a heart they would realize how much hurt was sustained while they were at the helm. I have seen good people go that are and always will be friends. People have been screwed over and brothers have passed away. #732, #553 and #463 rest in peace brothers. What I have learned is that no one running for Sheriff really cares if they do then let’s start talking about what you will or won’t do for HCSO. So far I have yet to hear of any sheriff candidate to really say what they plan to do. We are suffering this isn’t fair.
Congratulations Stoney, I enjoyed my years working the streets with you. We had some good times in Edgewood walking foot patrol. I hope what ever you have planned for life after the Sheriff’s Office treats you well. I wish for nothing but the best for you and Val.
DFC Marc A. Eaton, please do the world a favor and get a life. Like you give a #hit about bane or what he does. You have made it a point to make him look bad
@Lib,
Where in Eaton’s post does he say anything good or bad about Bane? We all know Bane is a failure and needs no help to make himself look bad. He has run the office into the ground and damaged the reputations of those around him irreparably. These two leave after long careers and because of Bane’s politics and vengeful actions, they will forever have a shadow cast over any memories of them.
I hate to burst your bubble Deputy Dog, but he has said things bad about Bane. I am sure the people at the top see what is coming. I for one think that there is problems and we will see more people jumping ship. Curiously they are leaving in July and the election is in Nov. Oh unless they do a retire and come back as a “new” employee and collect retirement and their salary. I for one will no shed a tear for them leaving.
@Marc’s 10th…..
I know Eaton has said many things about Bane and what a mess he has made of the HCSO. All of it is correct. I was just pointing out to the Proud Liberal (aka Baner) that today’s post from Eaton was just a nice comment directed at a previous coworker and not directed at Bane or even Carlevaro.
The rats are leaving the sinking ship!!!
Congratulations to each of them on their retirement. I wish them nothing but happiness for their future.
I read with interest, Sheriff Bane’s comments to agency personnel regarding Colonel Carlevaro and Major Stonesifer’s decision to retire. The top two members of Sheriff Bane’s administration deciding to leave at the exact same time is very telling, especially in an election year. I would suspect you will see other senior personnel leave this summer as the election nears and they become more convinced that Sheriff Bane is not going to have the support of most Deputies.
The issue now would seem to be, who in their right mind would want to jump on board a sinking ship in an election year. This could become very interesting. 🙂
To Mike Welsh,
Bane isn’t elected by the deputies, he is elected by the voters. You are entitled to believe that he won’t be reelected by the voters. I think he will.
You may be correct, he might be reelected. If he is, it will not be with the support of most Deputies, and that will lead to four more years of turmoil in the HCSO. That’s not a good situation for any of us, including Bane, Deputies, or the Harford County citizens. But you’re right…. it could happen.
Mike,
That is also your entitled opinion about Bane’s reelection being bad for all concerned. However, do you believe that all of the deputies give support to the Sheriff, no matter who he is? if so, I have a bridge you might wish to buy. The history of the HCSO is exactly what you are currently seeing. How long have you lived here, Mike?
Not all Deputies support an individual for the position of Sheriff during the election process. The difference begins when they do or do not support an individual after he/she is elected to the position of Sheriff. Sheriff Bane has lost the support of most of his Deputies, support I might add that was once there, but now lost, because of the Sheriff’s poor leadership along with the poor leadership from some of his senior commanders.
Sad to say….You may be correct.
We are hearing a name from the outside bantered about for Warden or Chief Deputy. Competence and proven effective leader will not be part of his job description. He has made his rounds and if it is him, we will only move backwards. Another political bobblehead. Very Sad!
You should know soon. Both positions will be vacant. The Warden’s position has been vacant for almost four years. It is interesting that all of a sudden he wants to fill the position. I realize that Colonel Carlevaro stated to the Dagger that the search for a Warden has been ongoing, but if that’s accurate, what it really tells me is that no one who is really capable of being Warden is interested in working for Jesse Bane, thus no credible applicants have surfaced.
Chief deputy = Jack Meckley. Case closed.
Jack is a good cop. But he gets too close to his subordinates and has his favorites. He does make a good Captain but not the best choice for colonel. Does he even want the position anyway?
It really is a no brainer. Jack will get 4 years as chief and then will be the next Sheriff. Meckley for Sheriff 2018. It all makes sense. Jesse respects Jack for being a good soldier.
If Bane were smart, he would ask Gahler to be his Chief Deputy. Here is a the guy who is not just another bobbing head, someone who looks at the big picture and someone who obviously can balance out Bane’s liberal ideas. It would be a coup and likely the only thing that would give Bane any hope of success.
Has anyone kept count of how many top commanders have left the Sheriff’s Office under Bane? It would be interesting to hear what they have to say if we could get them to talk.
Attend a Gahler fund-raiser, many of them in attendance would be happy to tell you why they left. In fact, if you would like to hear what former Sheriff Kunkel, a highly respected former Sheriff for 16 years in Harford County and longtime Democrat thinks about Sheriff Bane, feel free to attend a Gahler event. You will probably find Sheriff Kunkel in attendance. He has attended many of these events.
Right after talking to Kunkel, why not talk to Howard Walter or some other disgruntled retread… Blahahahaaaa
If you speak with Kunkel there will be no need to speak with anyone else. He can set you straight real quick.
Kunkel who. Wasn’t he sheriff during the Eisenhower administration. I trust Howard Walter. He can tell you anything you need to know.
If you want to know who Sheriff Kunkel was just ask Colonel Carlevaro, Kunkel was probably the Sheriff who hired him and Bane.
Mike Welsh what deputies do you speak to that do not like Jesse Bane? The majority of Jesse’s rank and file support him and the deputies union has endorsed him twice. In addition why is it odd that two commanders are leaving in July? The majority of retirements are effective July 1st, I think you are looking into things too much.
The Deputies I speak with are Harford County Sheriff’s Office Deputies.
Sheriff Bane has been endorsed by the Deputies Union the previous two times he ran for Sheriff. We are not talking about previous elections, we are talking about this election year. If you speak with current Deputies then you know that Sheriff Bane has lost significant support from his employees. Most employees will not support him during this election.
Please point out any post that I have made which states that two Commanders leaving in July is odd? I did say that their departure, the two top ranking deputies in all of his administration, together in an election year, was very telling, and I stand by that statement.
Now we await the announcement of who the new top two deputies in Sheriff Bane’s administration will be. Perhaps Hopkins will call a press conference and have the two new Commanders flown in on the helicopter for the announcement. I say this with tongue in cheek since they are not using the helicopter for anything else mission related.
Mike Welsh I don’t know who you are talking to but generally deputies support Jesse. As for the endorsement who is Better than Jesse Bane? Gahler will bring in a few people from previous administrations that many won’t like. Ryan has no supervisor experience other then cooking a bushel of crabs. Lastly Peck, does anyone know anything about him? Jesse is a proven and effective leader and has reduced crime!
With regard to endorsement of a candidate I’m sure the two unions have not yet taken any action. The Deputies union has a candidates night later this month and that will help the members decide who, if anyone, they want to endorse, which would probably not happen until after the primary election.
You are correct regarding Jesse being a proven entity. That’s his biggest hurdle to reelection, his record. He will not be able to escape his proven record.
With regard to who Gahler might select for leadership positions should he be elected Sheriff, I have no idea. If you know who it will be, go ahead and share that with us. I am waiting to hear who Bane will select to be his Chief Deputy and who he will select to fill Dale Stonesifer’s position. Filling those positions seems to be a more immediate issue than the election in November.
Lib….im not sure if you been talking to Admin people or upper brass from Sheriffs Office, but guys in patrol….if you were a fly on the wall and listening to all the conversations between patrol deputies, you would NOT hear much support for the sheriff….sad but true!! there are various ideas about who deputies would like to see, but it seems as many and majority of patrol would like to see the sheriff move on into retirement and start fresh with someone else! I think we will see in coming weeks after speeches to union who may have some good ideas!!
The Eagle One has landed, at the car show in Jarrettsville last weekend. Next stop–4th of July Parade. Unless Uncle Jesse will be picking up the Easter Bunny this weekend.
Is this why Sheriff Bane got the helicopter? I thought he was going to be using it for actual law enforcement purposes. Maybe the Sheriff’s Office was looking for stolen cars at the car show! Surely Sheriff Bane would not be using the helicopter for political campaign purposes.
I’m not sure what several posters problem is with Marc Eaton, but he is a good guy. I think the problem is everything he posts is the truth. Marc doesn’t make Lionel Bane look bad, Bane does that to himself. Also it is accurate that most deputy’s have lost faith in Bane and will not endorse him. The thumbs up/thumbs down on here speaks volumes. Change is on the way, just sit back buckle up and enjoy the show.
Just disappear and save the rest of us the campaign rhetoric.