By Jeffrey Alderton
Cumberland Times News
CUMBERLAND — Talk to Stephen Moyer, the new secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, for a few minutes and one thing becomes clear: Change is coming to Maryland, and change is coming to the state’s prison system.
With emphasis on professionalism, integrity, accountability and respect, Moyer brings a host of talents to the table in his latest assignment — the third major role he has held in state agencies in the past several years.
Moyer has been the state’s “go to” guy at different times, such as when the juvenile justice system experienced major problems in its youth camps not too many years ago. He served as the deputy secretary of the agency.
Law and order is part of Moyer’s heritage. He spent 24 years with the Maryland State Police — his first state agency — where he held positions as deputy secretary, lieutenant colonel and chief of the Field Operations Bureau. In 1994, he served as the commander of the Cumberland barrack.
His father, Theodore S. Moyer, who died in 2012, was a retired Maryland State Police major and former sheriff of Harford County.
Now, Moyer heads Maryland prison’s system, one of the largest state agencies. There are 12,000 employees in the agency that has a budget of $1.2 billion. He is also in charge of the parole and probation system and the Baltimore City central booking, detention center and pretrial release services.
Tuesday, he made his third recent trip to far Western Maryland, visiting the Western Correctional Institution on U.S. Route 220 at Cresaptown and meeting with local officials. Former fellow retired Maryland State Police Sgt. Richard Graham is the warden of WCI.
“The prisons out here are run well. They’re safe,” said Moyer. “The biggest challenge we face is ensuring everyone’s safety, making sure we are trained properly and that we have the proper equipment tools.”
Moyer said he is considering ideas to enhance security in the prison system with the use of postcards instead of letters being sent to inmates. “We are still getting a lot of Suboxen (heroin derivative) that’s being put on stamps.”
“We are also looking at video conferencing for visitation of inmates. The District of Columbia recently went to video conferencing for visitation.
“I will pick a prison to pilot. I hope to implement it in six months now that the technology is available,” said Moyer, who “ran intelligence for Maryland State Police for a couple years.”
“The governor is changing Maryland and I?am here to make changes in the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. I am starting to consolidate how we bring information forward and respond to it.
“I’m also pretty direct with people. I like to pull them aside.
“I thing we have mutual respect between the inmates and officers. Words and attitudes you present control the situation,” said Moyer. “Good attitudes and mutual respect prevents a lot of misunderstandings.”