The officers of the Queen Anne’s County Department of Corrections have this year selected Correctional Officer I Aidone Jeffers as Employee of the Year. This is the second time that her co-workers have selected her after being previously honored back in 2001. She was honored with this award at the Maryland Correctional Administrators Association annual recognition banquet held at the Clarion Fontainebleau Hotel in Ocean City on June 3rd, 2012. Jeffers was also presented with a Congressional citation from Congressman Andy Harris by past Delegate Richard Sossi also recognizing her award from the MCAA.
“It makes me feel great to be recognized after all of these years,” said Jeffers, who is one of the original employees of the Detention Center.
Ms. Jeffers began her career with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office in 1986 and came to the Queen Anne’s County Department of Corrections in 1988. “She immediately became an essential element in the initial development and growth of the agency and remains a vital contributor to the daily functions of the Department,” said Warden Lamonte Cooke.
“Ms. Jeffers has willingly assisted with the orientation and training of new officers and, at times, served the role as an adviser when some individuals are facing challenges, said Cooke. “She has no hesitation in coming to the administration to note her concerns regarding staff or operations, providing advice from her perspective and offering her assistance if needed in seeking resolutions. In doing so, she has been key in averting a number of potential problems that may have developed by allowing action to be taken early,” Cooke said.
“She has developed a stern-but-fair relationship with the inmates through her role as the commissary officer after developing a very productive and accountable system to provide this service to them,” he added. “ In addition, as the first person of Latino ancestry to be hired as an officer (of any public safety agency) in this area, her bilingual skills have been of benefit to criminal justice agencies, both county and State, over her many years of service. She has assisted in key investigations and court cases. She was essential, in one instance, of preventing a possible suicide within the Detention Center by a Latino inmate and has been involved with also counseling inmates many times.”
Ms. Jeffers will be retiring later this year and hopes to use her skills by volunteering to mentor youth. She will also work part time doing security for Easton Memorial Hospital.