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Position/philosophy statement
My focus is on the safety & security of the citizens of Scotland County & the men and women of the Sheriff's Office. To provide all citizens with the best service possible. To be a leader that is fair, impartial, dedicated and consistent.
Current Occupation
Captain over Support Services & Training & Standards at the Scotland County Sheriff's Office
Age (optional)
51
Campaign Phone
910-280-2657
I have served the citizens of Scotland County for over 28 years. The first 16 years were spent with the Laurinburg Police Department, and the last 12 with the Scotland County Sheriff's Office. I have worked my way up through the ranks into various leadership positions within each agency. I have patrolled the streets and community, spent time as a School Resource Officer, written and managed several grants, and built lasting relationships with community leaders and organizations, other law enforcement agencies, and our citizens. I've managed staff and assisted in the day-to-day operations of the Sheriff's Office. I work closely with the chief deputy in managing our agency budget.
Currently, recruitment and maintaining staff are our biggest challenges. The Scotland County Sheriff's Office is one of the lowest-paid law enforcement agencies in our surrounding area. The starting pay is several thousand dollars below what is paid in our neighboring counties. Also, the county currently offers no incentives to attract recruits. We lose good, hardworking deputies and detention officers frequently. Often their reason for leaving is for better pay and incentives. We have become a training ground or stepping stone for a lot of young officers .
I would like to build on the foundation of good programs that we have started over the past 12 years. Most importantly, I'd love to see us get approved for additional positions for patrol, narcotics division, and our detention center. For that to happen, our commissioners are going to have to increase pay significantly. This is a dangerous profession, and lack of manpower reduces response time, creates safety issues for all involved, and could cause crimes to go unsolved. But, once we are fully staffed, I'd love to see us get back into the neighborhoods and connect with the community members to better understand their concerns and begin to work on them. We can not do our job as we should without help from from our neighbors.
No matter what anyone's opinion is of the sheriff's office at this time, I will say that we do a really good job of providing safety and security for those living in Scotland County. As I mentioned earlier, with more funding, we can have more deputies. This will reduce response time while answering calls for service. We could increase our narcotics investigations and devote more time to our property and financial crimes. It would also allow us to spend more time in neighborhoods connecting with our youth.
Our current sheriff and a few volunteers started a re-entry program at the detention center. On site visitaions were regularly made and had great participation. The program then received some grant funding and was removed from our control to DSS. Since then, participation is severely lacking. I'd love to see it go back to the way it started. Also, I would speak with our DA and judges to see if they would allow some version of work release or home monitoring for low-level non-violent offenders. That would give them a chance to find or maintain employment, reduce overcrowding in the detention center, and cut the housing costs associated with being confined. Of course, there would be strict guidelines in place in order for that to happen.
I am a lifelong resident of Scotland County. I have several vested interests as a husband, father, and small business owner. I am dedicated to seeing our community thrive. I have served and continue to serve this county day in and day out with all my heart and soul. What I have discovered over the past 28 years is that law enforcement consists of about 5% knowledge of the law, 5% application of it, and the other 80% is using common sense, common decency, and being able to talk to people. With my experience, training, and education, I firmly believe that I am the best choice to lead the Scotland County Sheriff's Office.
