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c3efb734-29c9-4e23-8030-45df90bb28fc #68, Missing Teens January 29, 2025 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Earlier this month, just after posting a news release about a missing teenager, we received four media inquiries asking if we thought the child were in danger. Shortly thereafter, a social media follower expressed a desire for us to provide at least minimal context for missing teen news releases and requested we include whether we believed the child was voluntarily missing. These inquiries concern me because they may signal the first step in a dismissive process. I understand that people want to know into which mental box they should file the situation: might this be something that affects everyone in the community such as a kidnapper, serial killer, sexual predator or the like? Or is this perhaps an unhappy or headstrong teen and therefore of no pressing concern to anyone other than the child’s immediate family and friends? The possibility that readers might reach this latter conclusion bothers me a great deal. No one should be comfortable when adults cannot locate a 15-year-old, no matter the reason. Rest assured, if we issue a news release that begins with the sentence, “The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help,” it is because we are concerned for someone’s safety. We want people to rally around that fact, keep their eyes open for the missing person, and maybe even ask their own children if they know anything that might be useful. We do not want, and cannot afford, for anyone to dismiss the situation. A child missing for any reason is endangered. Regardless of whether a teen ran away, or perhaps just snuck out of the house, if that child stays gone several hours or even days, the outcomes all too often are not good. The situation is therefore an urgent one, and as a community that cares about its youth, we need to treat it accordingly. If someone is missing, it means we don’t know where he or she is or if he or she is safe, and therefore the context does not matter. We simply cannot declare that such a person is not in danger. Let’s talk about teenagers for a minute. I would wager that almost everyone (except people older than 12 and younger than 20!) would agree that adolescents, in general, are not known for their careful consideration before acting. Many would also remember some of the decisions they made at that age and cringe, maybe with horror, at how impulsive or ill-advised some of their choices were. My mother used to say, “Nothing good ever happens after 11 o’clock.” Although I used to hate that expression, as a parent and grandparent, I understand now what she meant. Too many kids die in crashes, commit stupid pranks that turn out to be criminal acts, become victims of sexual assault, flop in unsafe residential spaces, ingest questionable substances, or trust the wrong person who offers to buy them a hamburger. My communications manager reports that others have accused her (apparently more than once!) of getting lost in the weeds. But she repeatedly tells me she will not say that a missing child or teenager is not in any danger as a code for “this kid is a runaway.” She firmly believes that if no adult knows - at least vaguely - the whereabouts of an adolescent, there might be a problem. She also understands that sometimes, the teen leaves home because the very adult(s) who should be protecting that child are doing anything but. However, she is not insensitive to the human tendency to seek additional information to contextualize the situation. She therefore includes information to help readers frame their understanding of the circumstances surrounding the child’s disappearance. If she writes that a teen “left his residence” she is not-too-subtly hinting that the child did not suffer a kidnapping. If she adds information about where the child might be (“possibly in the White Cross area”), there is a strong possibility that deputies have some inkling about where - or in whose company- the missing person might be. Likewise, if my communication manager does not include suspect details, recommendations for increased vigilance, or information about a ransom note, she is probably telegraphing that the community at large has nothing to fear. Instead, we simply need help finding a vulnerable person. I support her approach, and we will continue to report the facts as we know them. To sum it up in one sentence, a missing child is an endangered child, and we are not going to tell you otherwise. ### Previous Next

Learn about the Command Staff of the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Meet the Command Staff Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood Phone: (919) 245-2900 E-mail: csblackwood@orangecountync.gov Chief Deputy Tina Sykes Phone: (919) 245-2900 E-mail: trimmer@orangecountync.gov Major Josh Wood Operations (919) 245 - 2927 jwood@orangecountync.gov Major Nate Fearrington Administration & Logistics (919) 245 - 2919 nfearrington@orangecountync.gov Major Tim Jones Detention, Courts, & Transport (919) 245 - 2956 tijones@orangecountync.gov Click Here to Learn More About Our Divisions Do You Want to Make a Difference in Your Community? Apply to Join Our Team Today! JOIN OUR TEAM!

89b419ef-a07b-45ac-b898-c7318fda5e0b #29, Organizational Chart October 27, 2021 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood My office is undergoing a systematic shift in how we envision our service to Orange County. This change is represented by a new organizational chart, one which places the employees working closest with the public at the top. This is a visual representation of my belief that the deputies and staff who have the most contact with the people we serve accomplish the bulk of our work seen by the community. They are, therefore, the face of the sheriff’s office, and placing them at the top reflects the important role they play in our agency. This fundamental shift in our chart obviously means that the command staff and I are at the bottom of the chart. This positioning is intentional– it is a visual reminder that we are here to support the staff of the Sheriff’s Office as they go about their work. A Sheriff’s Office provides many forms of service; in fact, it is more accurate to think of us as a comprehensive community support and safety agency than as just a law enforcement one. Our new chart also visually groups related functions into four main areas. These functional areas help highlight how “law enforcement” is too narrow of a term for the work we do. A major leads each of the four divisions, as follows:  Major Tina Sykes is the first female Major in the agency’s history. She leads the division responsible for Professional Standards/Training and Support Services. This division organizes the basic law enforcement academy for new cadets, arranges classes and tracks compliance with the yearly required in-service training for existing deputies, supervises the resource officers supporting the public school community, and oversees crime prevention and community outreach activities so vital in supporting special populations within our county.  Major Tim Jones administers the Detention and Courts Division. Four shifts provide for around-the-clock care of the people ordered into our custody by the courts. He also has responsibility for the deputies providing security at our courthouses and for the team transporting inmates between other detention and medical facilities across the state. We will soon move into a new detention facility several miles north of the current jail; Major Jones will oversee this enormous transition, including orienting and training the staff for the new space, finalizing the acquisition of equipment and supplies, and planning for new procedures to transport inmates to court (the new facility is not directly across the street from the courthouse as the current one is).  Major Nate Fearrington oversees the Patrol, Civil, and Administrative divisions. The patrol division has four shifts responding to 911 calls and proactively providing safety and security services to people and property within the county. Patrol deputies perform the duties most people envision when they hear the term “law enforcement officer.” Major Fearrington also has the responsibility for the vehicles, uniforms, and equipment these deputies need. Radios, body cameras, cell phones, and in-car computers continue to become exponentially more sophisticated; the logistics involved in maintaining and updating these systems are likewise more complicated. The civil division serves all court papers, collects money, and carries out orders of the court, such as executing evictions, while the administrative division has a myriad of functions, including providing services to the public such as fingerprinting, record keeping, and processing weapons permits. Specialized members of this division also counsel domestic violence survivors, while others provide the complicated computer and information technology (IT) services needed by a modern agency.  Major Josh Wood leads the teams responsible for criminal and narcotics investigations and the related duties of evidence collection and analysis. Related to these realms is the supervision and administration of the K9 unit, several state and federal multi-agency task forces, and the Special Response Team. The latter includes expertly trained and specially equipped officers who carry out high risk arrests and building entries, and use their experience in hostage and barricaded subject situations. From our position at the lowest level of the agency organizational chart, the rest of the command staff focuses on delivering the support the majors need to enable the members of their respective divisions to maintain, elevate, and adapt our service to a constantly changing landscape. Our overarching goal is to build confidence in our primary roles as a public safety and community support agency; thus, we hope we can maintain the community’s trust when law enforcement actions are necessary. We believe our new organizational chart better represents the operational efforts and structure we employ to guide this work and target our goals. Previous Next

17e8dafd-45b2-442f-b0d9-1c8994aec61c #48, Peace Officer Memorial Day May 31, 2023 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood May is a beautiful month. Spring is well underway, and it is no longer cold. Although it is warm enough to open the swimming pool, it is not yet too hot to enjoy being anywhere else outdoors. I am also a big fan of Mother’s Day, and the excitement and high hopes of graduation season. May is also a serious month, and I have been especially aware of that this year. On May 2, law enforcement members and the families of fallen officers from across the state gathered in Cary to honor those who died in the line of duty during the last year. As the Sheriff of Orange County and as the president of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, I had the solemn duty of “Roll Call” during which I read aloud eleven people’s names. Other speakers also paid tribute to the fallen, and several praised the families of the officers, gratefully acknowledging their sacrifice. These ceremonies are important, and they are difficult. Intended as a time to reflect, remember, and honor our dead in the comfort and company of others, these services are quite emotional for the loved ones who attend. The ceremonies bring back memories of the worst time of their lives - that period of shock, pain, and disorientation when they first processed the news of the death. I was pleased, therefore, that Attorney General Josh Stein, the host of the event, took time to share a few special moments of reflection with each of the families of the fallen before the service. He reminded survivors we will not forget their loved ones. As Cary Police Chief Terry Sult said, “This is an opportunity for us to share with you our hearts, our support, and embrace you as a part of the family of the shield.” In addition to honoring the fallen officers and their families, these services reassure current members of the law enforcement profession that if they ever make the ultimate sacrifice, we will actively and permanently remember them. Last year, we had the opportunity to exemplify this commitment. In 1904, Orange County Deputy Duncan Joseph Nichols died in the line of duty. At the time of his death, no process existed to annually or nationally honor those killed in such a manner. The United States began recognizing Peace Officer Memorial Day in 1962 after a proclamation by President John F. Kennedy. Others founded the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) in 1984, the nonprofit that built and now maintains the national memorial to fallen officers. I shared the facts and circumstances of Deputy Nichol’s death with the NLEOMF in July 2021, and in 2022, they carved his name into the limestone of the national memorial in time for Peace Officer Memorial Day. The monument now bears almost 24,000 names, and knowing Nichols’ name is there is very satisfying. Although we always honored him locally, I am pleased that our commitment to him was enduring enough after more than a century to formalize it nationally. I’d also like to share my thoughts about the recent death of Chapel Hill Police Officer Mike Mineer, who served as a Guardian of the Hill for 19 years. All law enforcement officers in Orange County work to support and look out for one another. Our work connects us in a way we do not need to articulate to each other and we find difficult to explain to someone else. The news of his death hit us hard. We respected Mike as a seasoned law enforcement officer and a committed and loving family man. We wish his loved ones and coworkers strength and comfort as they adjust to life without him. Although he did not die in the line of duty, it feels appropriate that he died in May. I know I will always think of him when I honor the service of other departed peace officers. Finally, I’d like to mention Memorial Day, which we recognized two days ago. Unofficially kicking off the start of summer, it is another solemn May occurrence in which we recognize, honor, and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. Although I found nothing that officially specifies a link between honoring military and law enforcement deaths in the same month, the connection feels deeply relevant and intentional. The formal opportunity to recognize those who gave their lives in the service of our county is another reason May is meaningful to me. Previous Next

b2ada39d-1e88-4b74-a388-e80ec08e2418 #45, Chief Deputy February 22, 2023 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Chief Deputy Jamison (Jamie) Sykes will retire at the beginning of May. His departure marks the beginning of an enormous transition; he has served in this role since my first day in office. I felt an emptiness in my stomach when he announced his intention to retire, but that sadness is balanced by the joy and excitement I feel for him. He will retire while he is still young, healthy, and able to enjoy the youth of his children. These are truly blessings, especially given that several studies show a reduced average lifespan for members of the law enforcement profession. In briefest terms, a Chief Deputy is the highest ranking person member of the office serving under a sheriff. Therefore, Jamie is charged with general management of the sheriff’s office. He acts with me, and in support of me, and sometimes in place of me. The role requires friendship, trust, loyalty, judgment, and the absolute ability to know how I would think about an issue or challenge facing us. There is also a difficult to describe human element critical to the role that in many ways is more meaningful than the rank. I had significant involvement in Jamie’s training when he was a young officer. Through the years, I served as his mentor and watched him succeed in nearly every division of this office. I observed his work ethic and witnessed countless examples of his integrity. I gave him advice on building both his house and his family, and I counted on him for the same. In 2000, I was diagnosed with cancer. When subsequently drafting my will, my wife Lisa and I named Jamie as the guardian of our children. I can’t think of another person on this planet I would’ve trusted more at the time with my family. My kids are grown now, and one has children of her own, so his potential term as guardian has long since expired. Still, if something were to happen to us, I know without a doubt Jamie Sykes is the first person my kids would call. Although Jamie will always be a part of my life, his retirement certainly represents a loss for our office, and we will face additional transitions over the next several years as other members of my staff retire. As we re-calibrate, I will announce many promotions, each of which will represent fresh energy, new ideas, and a different dynamic. As I started to consider who would become the next Chief Deputy, I recalled Jamie’s early frustrations as he worked to balance the operational side of the agency against the administrative one. Then, as we grew and implemented new programs, the scope of what he managed and the sheer number of decisions he faced grew exponentially. Meanwhile, the law enforcement profession as a whole experienced an increased demand for service. Across the state, many agencies are dividing the responsibilities of a chief deputy into two positions, and it became clear to me that such an arrangement is the right structure for my office at this time. As such, I am promoting Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Jones to serve as Chief Deputy for the operational side of the agency. His responsibilities will include the patrol, investigations, and civil divisions. Meanwhile, Major Tina Sykes will become the Chief Deputy responsible for the service side of our office, overseeing records, court security, detention, school resource officers, community outreach, and training and standards. Trust me, there is enough work to keep both of these individuals very busy! Both Tina and Kevin are products of this agency. I’ve known them their entire careers, and I’ve seen them grow and evolve into professional law-enforcement leaders. I have full faith in their ability to fill these new roles in an effective and efficient manner. Moreover, I trust them both completely. I am excited to see them take on new responsibilities, and I look forward to watching them grow. Luckily, Kevin and Tina will not start from scratch as Jamie did, meaning they can use his performance as a road map as they find their way. They can also lean on each other and collaborate as they navigate new challenges. We will miss Chief Deputy Sykes and his vast institutional knowledge, but we are well-positioned for continued success with these two leaders. I encourage readers to congratulate Jamie on his well-deserved retirement. His email address is JSykes@orangecountync.gov . Please also join me in congratulating Chief Deputies Tina Sykes and Kevin Jones and wishing them success. Their respective emails are Trimmer@orangecountync.gov and kjones@orangecountync.gov . Previous Next

d15056b9-6148-4a37-9b10-ab55aea093c0 #21, Bail Reform Part 2, Initial Appearance February 24, 2021 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood This edition of The Lowdown is the second in a three-part series. Last month, I reviewed criminal process; this month’s column covers the initial appearance hearing. With this information, I hope readers will have the background necessary for next month’s concluding column about bail reform efforts. The initial appearance hearing occurs when a deputy or other law enforcement officer brings a person under arrest to the magistrate for processing. The magistrate reviews the criminal charges with the defendant, provides the date and time of the first appearance in district or superior court, and sets the defendant’s conditions of pre-trial release. A written promise to appear in court on the assigned date is the least restrictive condition of pre-trial release. Ordering the defendant’s confinement to the Detention Center without setting a bail is the most restrictive and can be used in cases of domestic violence or homicide. Frequently, the magistrate will set a bail amount between $250 and $500,000. Magistrates can also impose restrictions on the individual’s behavior, such as prohibiting communication with a victim or being within 1000 feet of a certain location. It is critical to understand the purpose of bail is to ensure the defendant’s appearance in court, not to punish him or her. Our legal system holds that people are innocent until proven guilty. The system also places value on allowing an individual to assist unhampered in the preparation of a defense. Obviously, it is easier to collect evidence and work with an attorney if one is not confined to the detention center. More serious crimes usually have higher bail amounts, because serious crimes carry harsher sentences. A defendant charged with serious crimes arguably has more incentive to flee the area and fail to appear in court. A magistrate might also set a higher bail in cases where the defendant is likely to pose a threat to the victim(s), reoffend, or has no ties to the community. A local defendant charged with a DWI might receive a written promise to appear in court, whereas the magistrate might require a bail amount for an out-of-state defendant. The bail “incentivizes” the defendant’s return for court. If a defendant’s record shows a history of missed court dates or absconding, the magistrate may determine a high bail amount is warranted. The past failure to appear as ordered may forecast future behavior. Bail and bond are terms used interchangeably, but there actually is an important distinction. Bail is the amount of money a defendant must pay to get out of jail in advance of the court date. If the defendant complies with all court dates and court’s directives, he or she will receive this money back at the resolution of the case. If defendants cannot afford the full amount of bail, they may hire a bond agent or have a loved one post a property bond on their behalf. A bond agent charges a percentage, often 10%, of the bail amount. For example, a bond agent might charge $1,000 to post the $10,000 required to secure the defendant’s pre-trial release. This fee is not refundable, and the agent assumes financial responsibility for the bail should the defendant fail to appear in court. A property bond functions in a similar way – someone posts the value of property against the bail amount. If the defendant fails to show, the court can demand payment from the person who posted the property. If that person does not pay, the court may order the sale of the posted property. While we all agree that people must be held accountable for their actions when they violate the law, we also abhor the idea of incarcerating or punishing an innocent person. While most people incarcerated in the detention center have a court hearing the next day, at which time a judge reviews and possibly reduces the bail, court is closed on weekends. We should have an equal opportunity to secure our freedom pending trial, but lower income people are less likely to be able to afford bail and therefore more likely to miss work. Missing work can cause the loss of employment and a resulting cascade of problems. The results can be catastrophic, and the impacts are often felt by children and innocent family members. Our criminal justice system is seeking bail reform to prevent innocent people from consequences of crimes they did not commit and to equalize the financial impacts of bail across income levels, while still protecting the public from truly dangerous people. I will write about these reform efforts next month. Previous Next

59c4b68f-089e-4682-9c55-0245b78a9bb4 #42, Election Reflections November 30, 2022 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Earlier this month, voters elected me to serve a third term as Sheriff of Orange County. I appreciate their renewed support. Next week, my staff and I take our oath of office for the following four years. We will continue working toward a future where everyone is secure and able to move freely about as they live, work, raise their families, and age in place with dignity and support. Looking back, I can see that our priorities at the beginning of the last term shaped our accomplishments. I can also see the impact of two events we did not anticipate: a global pandemic and the killing of George Floyd. COVID-19 impacted every aspect of life, and Floyd’s murder highlighted the pervasive nature of racism. Both altered our work. We created flexible and virtual ways to provide services, drastically reduced the population in our detention center, and examined our policies and practices in collaboration with the local NAACP chapters. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide responsive, accountable, and professional law enforcement in spite of difficult challenges. One of our priorities four years ago was to develop leadership for the future. Toward this end, we flipped the organizational chart. It now reflects my belief that those with the most public contact (those serving in the detention center, courts, crisis unit, community outreach division, on patrol, in the schools, as investigators, and at the front desk) are the most important faces of this agency, and they belong at the top. Therefore, my command staff and I are at the bottom, reminding us we support their efforts. We also grouped personnel into four divisions headed by majors, providing new leadership opportunities. Another goal was to implement a body-worn camera program. I am happy to report that despite concerns about cost, storage, battery life, and possible impact on morale, we established this program, and it vastly exceeded our expectations. The cameras preserve visual and audio details of interactions from the deputy’s point of view. There are many advantages. For example, investigators can see exactly what the responding deputy saw. The recordings help to assist supervisors when reviewing complaints, and our field trainers use them to gain insight into new employee performance. Four years ago, we promised to strengthen communications with the public, and we have made tremendous progress toward this goal. We hired a public information officer who writes press releases and serves as a liaison to members of the media. We also revamped our website; developed a phone app; started this monthly column; expanded our use of social media; produced multiple videos; created and organized an image library; and improved our crisis-communication efforts. One of my favorite initiatives has been the growth of our Citizens’ Academy and volunteer program. The Academy provides an in-depth look into our office, examining the roles, responsibilities, equipment, techniques, and facilities of each division. Through guest speakers, field trips, and experiential learning, we teach participants about the breadth of our services, and we explore the often complicated and nuanced ways our work intersects with other systems, agencies, and departments. Graduates qualify to become volunteers with our office, either in the Sheriff’s Office Community Organization or in the VISION (Volunteers in Service in Our Neighborhoods) program. With the help of the County Manager and the Board of Commissioners, we designed, built, and opened a modern detention facility to replace our 97-year-old jail. The 48,900-square-foot facility is less crowded and has improved safety and security systems. It also features a properly equipped kitchen, better medical facilities, nicer visitation areas, and a breakroom for employees. Two workrooms within the secure part of the facility allow those confined in the facility to receive education and specialized programming to help them eventually make a successful transition back into the community. I also want to highlight an innovative outreach tool we debuted mid-term. I commissioned a public opinion poll to solicit insight about the priorities and interests of a cross-sectional sampling of Orange County. This poll identified voters’ desires, helped me make decisions regarding service priorities, and provided data to support those choices. Nothing in the poll, however, affects how we respond to violent crime and carry out our constitutionally prescribed duties. This exercise was so valuable that we intend to repeat the poll during the upcoming term to ensure our delivery of discretionary services remains aligned with the interests of those we serve. I am excited for my third term. Thank you again for your support! Previous Next

6ba627be-4cca-4d68-a73e-8c5983243d8d #77, Specialized IPC Training Yields Results October 29, 2025 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood It is difficult to find something you aren’t looking for. If we go to a domestic violence call, it would be irresponsible to assume everything is okay just because both parties deny needing assistance. We therefore rely on our training to look for context clues that will provide more insight about the situation. Are items in disarray? Does someone have a bruised neck or scratched upper arms? If we separate the people involved, do they tell the same story? It is precisely knowing what to look for that often helps get a victim out of danger. Similarly, we know that swerving or failure to maintain a lane may suggest a person is driving while impaired. Therefore, we look for other clues. Are there empty beer cans in the vehicle? Are the driver’s eyes red or glassy? Does he or she seem clumsy while getting the registration out of the glove box? Almost half a million children are missing in the United States, but shockingly, very few law enforcement officers are trained to look for them actively. Therefore, we recently started sending deputies to a relatively new program called Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC). IPC is an evidence-based curriculum created by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Interdiction refers to intercepting movement, most often discussed in terms of disrupting drug trafficking on our highways. For example, officers on a drug interdiction team might know where the natural cavities in a vehicle are. They are also trained to look for signs of tampering or modification that might indicate large amounts of narcotics are concealed within. The goal of IPC is to broaden the perspective of law enforcement officers, teaching them how to identify missing children. Those with IPC training know that not every child in a vehicle is with a parent or other appropriate person. Believing that a child in the back seat will say, “Hi, I am Jane Doe, and this man kidnapped me three months ago” is not a reasonable expectation. Encountering a child is not the same as looking for a missing one. The IPC program, important everywhere, is especially critical in North Carolina, which is consistently ranked in the country’s top 10 states for human trafficking. We have several major interstate highways, a significant military presence, large agricultural areas, a booming tourism industry, and we are approximately halfway between Florida and New York, all of which are factors conducive to exploiting people for profit. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety provides the multi-disciplinary IPC training through the North Carolina Justice Academy. The program has four primary pillars: train officers to identify individuals who pose a high risk to children; equip officers to recognize children who are being exploited, abused, or trafficked; teach officers about the resources available to help them determine the status of a child who may be missing or at risk; and prevent future crimes, partly through the effective prosecution of people who exploit children in any manner. A deep dive into these pillars is beyond the scope of this article, but in brief, the first two pillars help law enforcement officers understand the coin has two sides. One is to identify what makes adult behavior suspicious; the other is to recognize how the actions of children and adolescents might provide clues to their status as victims. Those trained in IPC also understand why the presence of some objects and the absence of others might be cause for suspicion. The third pillar is critical. Officers need to know how to access resources immediately to facilitate rescue with minimal additional trauma. If they are unable to do that, officers log suspicious activity into a database that tracks patterns and searches for connections. The final pillar recognizes the complexity of these crimes and the important work of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. The Conference prepares prosecutors to secure convictions in these complex, multijurisdictional criminal cases. Within weeks of attending the training, one of our deputies, while assisting another agency on a call involving a runaway, recognized something was “off.” He viewed the juvenile as more than a rebellious teen and noticed signs that she might now be caught in a dangerous web. Despite the hour, he arranged for expert resources. The resulting forensic interview revealed the teen had been commercially sex trafficked since she went missing. Moreover, the interview led to the rescue of a second victim and criminal charges against three co-conspirators. IPC is a mindset. Missing kids are out there. I want all my deputies trained to find them. Previous Next

5000c867-b2fe-480b-a8fd-f58551d9d277 #39, SRO Program August 31, 2022 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Orange County students recently started a new school year, always an exciting time for parents, teachers, and staff. Most are full of hope and eager to improve on the successes of last year. But in every parent’s heart, the excitement is likely tinged with worry. Will my children adapt to new teachers and increased academic rigor? Will they avoid harassment from the lunchroom bully? Is their bus driver experienced? And the most important question – are our schools safe? Your Sheriff’s Office has a robust school resource officer (SRO) program to answer this last question. Operating under a Memorandum of Understanding with Orange County Schools, and a separate contract with Eno River Academy, we have an SRO in 14 schools, and two deputies each at Orange and Cedar Ridge high schools. We’ve grown significantly since the program began in 1994 with only two SROs, one each at Orange High School and C.W. Stanford Middle School! Some people question why law enforcement officers are in schools. In response, I ask them to think of other large gatherings, such as sporting events, festivals, parades, road races, and concerts. Law enforcement officers are present at these as a matter of routine. These events have three commonalities - crowds, people with differing levels of emotional regulation, and the possibility of chaos or mass casualties if something goes wrong or someone tries to cause harm. An educational setting is likewise possessed of these same factors. In the worst case scenario of a mass shooting, response time is critical. As Tina Sykes, the Major responsible for the SRO program, likes to say, “When it comes to the safety of our students, I’d rather it take 15 seconds for a deputy to respond from somewhere else in the building than to wait seven or more minutes for one to arrive from somewhere else in the county.” The North Carolina General Statutes define a school resource officer as a law enforcement officer assigned to one or more public schools, at least 20 hours per week, to assist with school security, emergency preparedness, emergency response, and any other responsibility assigned by the employing unit. In addition to the mandatory annual in-service requirements for all deputies, an SRO must successfully complete a forty-hour certification course that will, at minimum, contain diversity and equity, tactical, and mental health training. SROs are not disciplinarians, truant officers, school administrators, or attorneys. They are dedicated to fostering a safe and secure environment, serving as mentors, and assisting with education on law-related topics like forensics or civics. In the course of their duties, they form relationships with students and their families, relationships that would not exist if deputies served the school only when dispatched in response to 911 calls. Students frequently confide in an SRO about problems they experience, or share concerns about others, such as suicidal ideation or self-injurious behaviors. With this information, SROs can provide extra support, investigate the situation, and respond in a coordinated manner with school officials. In other words, SROs exist to address problems, not arrest problems. They understand the difference between misbehavior and true criminal conduct. In cases where a student commits an actual criminal offense at school, SROs take a measured approach. If the infraction is minor and represents the first time the student has offended, SROs issue a warning to the student and notify the parent. If the student commits a subsequent criminal violation, the SRO might refer the matter to the Youth Deflection Program, the Dispute Settlement Center, or the Volunteers for Youth Teen Court Program. Unless the matter is very serious, or if the student demonstrates escalating criminal behavior despite attempts to employ these alternative resources, SROs make significant efforts to divert the case from the criminal justice system. In the 2018-19 and the 2019-20 school years, SROs diverted 90 and 91 percent of criminal matters, respectively. SROs perform many other functions. They prevent or intervene in situations of dating violence, assist with disruptions involving intoxicated or impaired parents, navigate custody issues, answer questions about domestic violence protective orders, and facilitate creating safe ways for parents to be involved in their student’s education if they are on the sex offender registry. They manage to provide all these benefits while serving their primary purpose to reduce critical response time from minutes to seconds and prevent violence and mass casualties. I am proud of the positive and long-lasting impact our SROs make every day. Moreover, I am grateful they share my commitment to ensuring our schools are as safe as possible. Previous Next

9c8ca8aa-b963-4262-bf01-7b4b04911637 #36, Deputy Nichols Honored May 25, 2022 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood The United States recognizes National Police Week annually; on May 13 the names of officers, deputies, and other law enforcement agents who died in the line of duty during the previous year are read aloud at a candlelight vigil on the National Mall in Washington, DC. At the vigil, organizers also honor historical line-of-duty deaths. This year, we commemorated the service of Deputy Duncan Joseph Nichols, whose sacrifice had not previously been recognized on the national level. Nichols died in 1904, 58 years before President John F. Kennedy signed the yearly observance of Peace Officer’s Memorial Day into law. Nichols’ death also came 80 years prior to the founding of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) in 1984. This nonprofit organization built and maintains the national memorial to fallen officers. I shared the facts and circumstances of Deputy Nichol’s death with the Fund in July 2021, and it notified us of his acceptance last August. The National Memorial bears the names of 23,229 officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The total includes 619 new names; the 472 officers killed in the line of duty in 2021 and 147 people, like Deputy Nichols, whose death has only recently been verified and recognized. In brief, James Knapp Horner, 58, shot Deputy Nichols in the arm on September 9, 1904 as Nichols attempted to serve a warrant on Knapp for allegedly whipping his daughter-in-law. Nichols bled to death from a severed artery before he could make it home to his family. A posse captured Horner three days later, shooting him in the side during his arrest. Horner’s wounds were not fatal and did not require hospitalization. Convicted of second degree murder in 1905, a court sentenced him to 12 years in prison. Deputy Nichols had a wife and four daughters. The youngest was just a few weeks past her third birthday at the time of her father’s death. His wife of almost 20 years, Pattie, never remarried. She died in 1942, living almost 38 years as a widow. Nichols’ parents and nine siblings also survived him. As I sit here, more than a century later, I find the gravity of his loss difficult to comprehend. As Sheriff, I fear little as much as the line-of-duty death of one of my employees. I hope they understand that ensuring Nichols received this long-overdue acknowledgement is one small way I signal that I fully recognize the magnitude of their willingness to serve and sacrifice for this community every day. Representatives of my office traveled to Washington, DC this month to attend the vigil and view the addition of Nichols’ name to the monument. They attended with William “Bryan” Sykes, his wife Kandi, Wiley Arnold Sykes, and his wife Jean. The Sykes brothers are two of Nichols’ great grandsons; they are the grandsons of his daughter Lida May, who was five when her father died. Although no one alive ever met Deputy Nichols, the events of the weekend were nonetheless emotional. At the law enforcement museum, the group viewed a wall on which photos of the newly recognized officers were displayed. Something about seeing Nichols’ face in such a formal display brought the loss of him into the room. Most survivors were there to grieve a much more recent death, including a boy of about 10, dressed in a perfectly tailored Sullivan County, TN sheriff’s deputy uniform, paying tribute to his father. The freshness of his grief merged with our knowledge of the pain long-dead residents of Orange County once endured. Someday, over a century in the future, the 10-year old’s grandchildren might be in Washington, DC honoring a man they never met. The memorial wall sits across the street from the museum. Row after row of names carved into limestone create a permanent record of service and sacrifice. You have to see it to understand the beauty and the solemnity; I hope you find the opportunity to do so someday. Every year at the candlelight vigil honoring the line-of-duty deaths from the prior year and historical deaths such as Deputy Nichols, thousands of people listen to the names read into the night. A bell tolls after each state’s list of names concludes. Speeches and musical tributes add dimension to the ceremony which culminates with thousands of candles piercing the darkness – the light a symbol of the personal love of immediate survivors and the enduring gratitude of the rest of us, who live protected by the thin blue line. If you are interested in learning more or donating to the NLEOMF, please go to https://nleomf.org/. Thank you. Previous Next

7cd6b7d6-cd47-47ba-aa8e-df6a7cbd0616 #1, General Info August 7, 2019 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Thank you for reading this, my first column for the News of Orange. I am humbled every day by the trust the voters placed in me when they first elected me as the county’s 47th Sheriff in 2014, and when they reelected me in 2018. Obviously, I find law enforcement interesting and engaging – I chose to make it my life’s work. Each month, through this column, I will attempt to give readers a behind the badge look at what, why, and how we do what we do in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Let me know your interests - I can write about philosophy, a day in the life, our K9 team, equipment costs, NARCAN, the anatomy of an eviction, how we interface with 911, and much more. This week, I thought I would start with a little specific history about the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and some general information about the office of the sheriff. In the 267-year history of Orange County, 45 people have taken the oath of office as sheriff (two served twice). Many terms were short. In fact, two sheriffs started and ended their service in the same year: John Hawkins in 1780 and E. H. Ray in 1867. Moreover, it took 22 sheriffs to cover the first 47 years of law enforcement in the county. By contrast, I am only the third sheriff elected in the last 61 years! Voters elected me after Sheriff A. Lindy Pendergrass, the county’s longest serving sheriff, decided not to seek re-election after 32 years. Prior to that, C.D. Knight was sheriff for 24 years – I began my career working for him. Formed in 1752, Orange County takes its name from William of Orange V of England, the land grant holder. It originally consisted of what we now know as Orange, Alamance, Durham, Chatham, Caswell and Person counties. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office began that same year. Alexander Mebane was the first sheriff, serving from 1752-1754. The town of Mebane, originally incorporated as Mebanesville in 1881, bears his name. The concept of a sheriff stretches back through time; one of the earliest mentions is in the Bible, where sheriffs acted as supervisors for King Nebuchadnezzar. The responsibilities of sheriffs carried over to England when King Alfred the Great divided the land into “Shires” and appointed “Rieves” to oversee them. Eventually “shire rieves” became “Sheriff.” In those days, a sheriff administered the law, assembled armies, apprehended offenders, and passed on information (initially by word of mouth) about criminals to neighboring jurisdictions. The Office of the Sheriff made its way across the ocean and into the new world. One of the first acts decided on by the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts was the formation of a Sheriff/Constable for the settlement. The Sheriff was an officer of the court, collector of public taxes and private levies, keeper of prisons, and the public hangman. As the thirteen colonies became the United States, the Office of Sheriff reflected the new government’s design. North Carolina in 1776 was one of many states that put the position of Sheriff into their state constitution. Of course, at this point, Orange County had already established the office 24 years earlier! Once the position was in the state constitution, voters elected the sheriff and he or she was no longer appointed by the King or Governor. The sheriff is in the unique position of being active in all three branches of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. It is important to realize sheriffs’ offices did not exist in the way we think of them today until the mid-19th century. Citizens used to be legally bound to be ready at the command of the sheriff to help arrest felons. You may be familiar with the concept of a posse from watching westerns on television; a sheriff would deputize ordinary people to help apprehend criminals. People acting on behalf of the sheriff in such situations were subject to the same protections and consequences that the sheriff faced, yet they had no training or experience. People who did not serve when commanded were subject to fines. Today, highly trained deputies assist me with my duties. I am grateful I do not have to grab people off the street every time someone calls 911! I look forward to this monthly chance to give you the lowdown. Please suggest ideas for future columns by emailing my Public Information Officer at astemper@orangecountync.gov . Thank you! Previous Next

45f3bfec-088e-4d7c-acbe-4e94c8fc4d41 #61, Vacation Safety June 26, 2024 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood “The days are long, but the years are short,” generally refers to the experience of parenting. However, as I write this, I am shocked to be looking down the barrel of July and seeing prime vacation season. Wasn’t it just New Year’s Eve a week or so ago? As people prepare to travel, they juggle many tasks, including completing urgent workplace projects, planning an itinerary, coordinating pet care, and packing luggage. Given the number of distractions, it is not surprising that vacationers often forget to attend to the security of their homes and the belongings they plan to leave behind. I believe travelers should wait until they return home before they share pictures and information on social media platforms about their vacation. “Having a great time at the Grand Canyon,” broadcasts a family is out of town, whereas “We had fun in Arizona last week. Enjoy our Grand Canyon photos,” conveys the same information without widely announcing the absence. I frequently advise people that nosy neighbors are a terrific alarm system! Sharing travel plans and exchanging contact information with them is a good practice. Ask nearby residents to keep an eye on your place, and if you are comfortable, give a trusted neighbor a key to your home or the keypad code to your garage. In the event of a screaming smoke alarm, gas leak, or broken pipe, that person can grant access to emergency responders or repair workers. Neighbors can also check your mail, take packages off your porch, grab newspapers from your driveway, and return garbage bins to the side of your house after trash pick-up. When no one attends to these chores for several days, people with malicious intent may recognize an opportunity to break into an unoccupied residence. Many properties have security cameras, such as Ring, Blink, Nest, or Arlo Pro. These systems require routine maintenance. Because they only work with steady access to power or working batteries, check that all is in order before you leave town. Likewise, if your system uses local storage, such as a flash drive, delete old clips to ensure you have enough available space to accommodate the length of your trip. If your camera is motion activated and delivers a live feed but does not store video, make sure you know how to take screenshots of any unusual activity. Relatively speaking, home security systems are new technology. Have you thought through what you will do if you see suspicious activity at your residence in real time while you are away? How do you notify your law enforcement agency back home? Fortunately, all North Carolina call centers now use an integrated system, allowing dispatchers to efficiently route a 911 call placed anywhere in the state to the telecommunication center here in Orange County. However, if you are out of state, calling 911 will not help you reach anyone in this area. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to store the direct number for our dispatch center in your contacts. It is (919) 732-5063. Our office provides two services of interest to vacationers. Upon request, and if not too busy with emergency calls, deputies will conduct either a “close patrol” or a “house check” of an Orange County property. During a close patrol, deputies will be in the vicinity of the identified address more often usual, perhaps providing periods of a stationary presence in the general area. When conducting house checks, deputies perform more detailed inspections by exiting their patrol vehicles and walking around the residence, physically ensuring doors and windows are secure. With either service, if the deputies discover any problems, they will call you or your emergency contact. If you would like to sign up for a close patrol or house check, please fill out the form available on our website, or call us at (919)245-2900. If possible, please arrange for this service three or more days before you leave for vacation. We will do our best to keep your residence and belongings safe while you are away. We encourage you to also think about your personal safety while on vacation. Three important tips: make sure children know what to do if they get lost or separated from you, designate a specific person to watch kids around bodies of water, and diligently minimize distractions before driving on unfamiliar roads. Please be careful, have fun, and bring home happy memories! ### Previous Next