The two law enforcement agencies' criminal investigations divisions have merged to form the Frederick County Bureau of Investigations.

"This has been one of my goals since coming into office," said Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, who was an investigator for 13 years before his election. "I see a lot of benefits to it."

Lt. Michael Brady, MSP barrack commander, said the combined investigative unit will benefits both residents and the agencies.

The investigators for both have occupied the same room since moving to the Frederick County Law Enforcement Center in July 2002, but they did not share their cases.

Occasionally the two agencies would work together when a criminal would overlap jurisdictions.

But two recent cases the agencies worked together led Jenkins and Brady to form the bureau.

Both agencies helped find 14 youths who escaped from the Victor Cullen Center near Sabillasville on May 27.

They also caught a District Heights couple suspected of robbing two banks in the county. Carlos Ismael Williams, 28, and Denise Smith, 37, have been charged in the armed robberies at Sovereign Bank on Corporate Drive on May 22 and the PNC Bank on Walnut Street in Libertytown on June 30.

Both agencies saw the tangible benefits to the bureau, which was formed Aug. 1, Jenkins said.

State police have four investigators and two supervisors in the bureau, and the sheriff's office has 13 detectives and three supervisors. Sheriff's Capt. Tim Clarke and Lt. Ted Nee oversee the group.

"But it truly is a shared bureau," Jenkins said.

Their cases are broken up into three categories: persons, property and special investigations.

Each investigator brings something unique to the bureau, Jenkins said. Because there are more investigators, the caseload can be spread out more as well as on-call duties.

Two of the bigger cases they are working include the Aug. 14 bank robbery of the Frederick County National Bank in Walkersville and the assault of an employee at Philly's Cheesesteak Factory on Wednesday.

"Over the long run I think you will see a real benefit to the bureau," Jenkins said.

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