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Learn about the Past Sheriffs of the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Past Sheriffs Below is the list of all Sheriffs of Orange County, NC. 2014 - Present C.S. Blackwood 1982 - 2014 A. Lindy Pendergrass 1958 - 1982 C.D. Knight 1954 - 1958 Odell Clayton 1938 - 1954 S.T. Latta Jr. 1928 - 1938 W. T. Sloan 1924 - 1928 L. Bunn Lloyd 1920 - 1924 Thomas E. Sparrow 1916 - 1920 C. G. Rosemond 1910 - 1916 R.D. Bain 1904 - 1910 S.W. Andrews 1880 - 1904 John Knox Hughes 1870 - 1880 Thomas H. Hughes 1868 - 1870 John Turner 1867 - 1867 E. H. Ray 1865 - 1867 Hugh B. Guthrie 1864 - 1865 Richard M. Jones 1862 - 1864 Hugh B. Guthrie 1852 - 1862 Richard M. Jones 1833 - 1852 James C. Turrentine 1823 - 1832 Thomas D. Watts 1820 - 1822 Thomas Clancy 1818 - 1820 Edward Harris 1810 - 1818 Josiah Turner 1809 - 1810 David Ray 1799 - 1809 Samuel Turrentine 1796 - 1799 Andrew Murdock 1794 - 1796 Joseph Hodge 1793 - 1794 John Willis 1791 - 1793 John Sloss 1789 - 1790 William McCauley 1787 - 1789 John Nichols 1784 - 1786 James Freeland 1782 - 1784 James Mebane 1780 - 1780 John Hawkins 1777 - 1780 Alexander Mebane Jr. 1772 - 1775 Thomas Donaldson 1770 - 1772 John Butler 1769 - 1770 John Lea 1768 - 1769 Tyree Harris 1768 - 1768 Thomas Hart 1765 - 1768 William Nunn 1763 - 1765 Thomas Hart 1760 - 1762 William Reed 1758 - 1760 Josiah Dixon 1757 - 1758 Lawrence Thompson 1754 - 1756 John Gray 1752 - 1754 Alexander Mebane

9b8f8fec-c236-4572-ae2b-252b473b2c21 #52, Victim Identified After 33 Years September 27, 2023 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Thirty-three years ago, crews working on the side of I-40 found the remains of a young woman near the New Hope Church Road exit. I remember that day – I was a patrol deputy working in the southern part of the county. The victim had been dead for about a week, and the investigation revealed her killer probably strangled her and dumped her body alongside the Interstate. She was likely between 15 and 25 years old. Investigators wondered if she had been a runaway. Some witnesses reported seeing a person matching her description at a truck stop. Despite pursuing hundreds of leads, investigators were unable to determine her identity or that of her killer. Throughout the decades, some of our finest investigators kept plugging away. When you can’t close a case, it gets under your skin. You might set the file aside for a while, but you keep coming back to it, looking to see something you didn’t notice before, or hoping information gathered in ensuing cases has relevance to your cold case. Think back to 1990. Most of us probably didn’t have an email account or regular access to a computer. We did not have smart phones or social media accounts. Searches and inquiries we can accomplish now in a matter of seconds at a keyboard previously required an entirely different skill set. During the ensuing three decades, technology improved, and investigators continually had new tools at their disposal. They repeatedly checked web-based missing person sites as those became growing repositories of information. They turned to social media. Early in the case, someone made a bust of the victim, applying forensic facial reconstruction techniques to a model of her skull. By 2018, a talented digital forensic artist was able to generate an illustration that resembled a photograph. We pushed out this image and renewed pleas for help on the thirtieth anniversary of the day workers located her body, but nothing came of those efforts. Meanwhile, in laboratories all over the world, people continued to push the frontiers of science, particularly in the field of DNA research. Although prosecutors first won a criminal conviction using DNA in 1986, the field of forensic science as we know it today was still in its infancy in 1990 when we began this investigation. Although scientists could perhaps confirm someone’s identity via a DNA match or prove someone’s involvement in a crime through the biological clues they left behind, they could not use DNA to identify an unknown person. Through the years, we received substantial assistance and resources from the State Bureau of Investigation and several volunteers with a passionate interest in solving missing persons cases. We assigned Investigator Dylan Hendricks to the case in June 2020. He eventually learned from an SBI agent about a California lab doing phenomenal work extracting DNA from rootless hair, another new frontier. Hendricks sent a degraded hair fragment to Astrea Forensics in May of last year. The company returned a DNA profile last month, and after 33 years, we finally had the breakthrough we needed. Forensic genealogist Leslie Kaufman worked with the profile to identify family members of the victim using genealogy databases and other forensic tools. She identified some paternal cousins and investigators began conducting interviews. They learned of a female relative named Lisa Coburn Kesler whom no one had heard from in at least three decades. Investigator Hendricks said, “Essentially, there was a Lisa-shaped hole on a branch of the family tree right where the DNA told us Lisa should be, and no one knew where she was.” A maternal relative provided a DNA sample. Once analyzed, we had additional confirmation. Lisa was 20 years old when she died and had spent most of her life in Jackson County, Georgia. The results satisfied Clyde Gibbs, a Medical Examiner Specialist in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He updated NamUS, a national database used to connect missing persons cases to unidentified remains, reflecting that the DNA method resolved her case. Additionally, the Chief Medical Examiner is now able to amend her death certificate, providing her correct name and adding other demographic information. I am very happy we solved the decades-old mystery of this young woman’s identity, and I hope it provides solace to her remaining family members. We are grateful to the many investigators, passionate volunteers, and talented professionals who assisted with this effort. Our work on this case is not finished. Although we collectively demonstrated the value of dogged determination, we still need to identify Lisa’s killer. There is no statute of limitations on murder, and the investigation remains open. If you have any information about this case, please call Investigator Hendricks at (919) 245-2951. Previous Next

24021a1b-f3eb-4feb-9dec-c5d9d1f12889 #31, Rules of Engagement December 29, 2021 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood In early June 2021, the Asheville Police Department, citing a staffing shortage, notified their community that officers would no longer respond to some calls for service, including thefts or vandalism with no suspect information, scams, funeral escorts, and certain harassing phone call complaints. I believe their decision came as a shock to many. Regardless, they communicated the change clearly to the Asheville community. Shortly after, members of my command staff attended a webinar entitled “What Your Community Wants from the Police – Clarifying the Rules of Engagement” offered by the Dolan Consulting Group. The training started by recognizing the mixed messages directed to law enforcement. For example, we are called to respond to (and solve) a host of societal problems such as noise complaints, intoxicated people, break-ins, property disputes, and undisciplined children. These calls are time consuming, and they can make it difficult to provide the rapid response people expect when they call 911 with a dire emergency. Similarly, we are expected to keep roadways safe and crime rates low, but people only want us to enforce the traffic or criminal violations of people other than themselves! The webinar encouraged agencies to clarify the rules of engagement, make decisions regarding service priorities, and communicate both to the community. I decided to approach this task by commissioning a poll through Public Policy Polling (PPP), an agency nationally acclaimed for their accurate results. They surveyed a representative sample of Orange County voters about their thoughts and opinions regarding how they wished to be policed. Many law enforcement professionals I spoke to about this poll essentially asked me, “Why would you want to do that?” In return, I asked them, “Why wouldn’t you?” Some of them have Citizens’ Advisory Boards, an idea I am not comfortable with because I am unable to delegate my constitutional authority to anyone. Moreover, as an official elected by the entire county, I must endeavor to serve everyone, and it is difficult to think a dozen or so people could be a fair proxy for the opinions of a population of 145,000. The sample size is simply too small. PPP surveyed 740 Orange County voters and employed weighting to the data to ensure the demographic breakdown of those polled closely approximated the population of Orange County. The respondent pool was 75% white, 12% African-American, 8% other, and 5% Hispanic or Latino. Fifty-five percent of the respondents were Democrat, 16% were Republican, and 29% were Independent or a member of another party. A deeper dive into the gender, age, education, and residential area (urban, suburban, or rural) of respondents is beyond the scope of this article, but all generally tracked the composition of voters in our county. The opportunity to have insight into the opinions of a truly cross-sectional sampling of the county in a poll with a margin of error of only +/- 3.6 is invaluable. The poll queried the priority people felt my office should give to 15 law enforcement practices. We are now studying the resulting data and determining how to best adapt our service to the preferences of Orange County residents. I should note that nothing in the poll will affect how we respond to violent crime and carry out our constitutionally prescribed duties. Rather, the poll examined how our residents want us to police on matters allowing for more discretion, such as traffic enforcement, property crimes, quality of life calls, and requests for service that do not involve an imminent threat to people. We will repeat the poll at regular intervals, allowing us to adjust to the changing desires of those we serve. The poll will help us be accountable to our residents and elected officials, and it will help us have a framework to respond to calls for service in accordance with the wishes of the community as a whole, not just to the loudest voices at any particular moment. The data we now have are rich with possibility. Some clear themes emerged; residents want us to help protect their property and their ability to live in peace. They value protecting children in schools, and overall, they are not very concerned about expired tags or personal use of marijuana. We look forward to the opportunity to review policy and tailor service delivery to the desires of the community, and to communicating any changes to Orange County residents. Previous Next

fede1174-9cf8-494c-a356-b79817b8a90f #34, Doing What we Do March 30, 2022 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood Earlier this month, a child ran away from school. A teacher followed the child who was running through a wooded area in the direction of a heavily-trafficked road. For the privacy of the child, I will not mention the name of the school or provide details about the student; those facts do not matter. What matters is a student was upset, fleeing on foot, and headed toward a busy highway. In response to a 911 call, several deputies flooded the area. One of them caught the child, mere feet from the shoulder of the road. He wrapped his arms around the student from the back in a cradling bear hug and sat down, functioning almost as a human car seat. Once seated, however, he could not get back up. The ground was muddy and the child was fighting, struggling, and screaming “Let me go!” Trying to stand from a seated position, without the use of one’s arms, is surprisingly difficult to do. Two deputies positioned their cruisers between the pair and the passing traffic. The space was so narrow, their vehicles were partially in the travel lane. Traffic had to move into a center turning lane to pass them. Before the situation resolved, community members began calling our front desk. Some people inquired about the heavy police presence in the area. When told we were helping with a child who ran away from school, a few callers asked whether that was a law- enforcement matter. Others wanted to know how many adults it takes to “wrangle” a child, and we later started seeing posts on Facebook about deputies giving a child CPR. Although I suppose we could get defensive about such calls, we recognize these inquiries for the opportunities they present. The general public does not know what our jobs are like on a day-to-day basis, and it is easy to make incorrect assumptions about unfamiliar things. No doubt motorists were troubled by what they saw, and the Facebook posts reflect their efforts to make sense of the scene. We routinely face multi-dimensional problems and rapidly evolving situations. We must creatively problem solve within the framework of the law and our training. Every deputy who responded to this call played a pivotal role, and is therefore part of the reason for the heavy police presence. As I’ve said before, “law enforcement” is too narrow of a term to describe our work. We offer community support, and our deputies are safety professionals. I can’t think of another agency with the skills, training, equipment, mobility, and response time to handle the situation I describe above. The child in question verbalized an adamant refusal to calm down, and continued to struggle and yell, “Let me go.” Although the deputy kept the child’s arms pressed against his abdomen, he still managed to grab a shoe and throw it striking an approaching deputy in the head. Then, as two deputies tried to help the sitting deputy stand, the child freed one of his arms momentarily. He picked up a stick and rapidly thrust it overhead, trying to strike the face of the confining deputy. One of the assisting deputies partially blocked the thrust; the stick lightly scratched the holding deputy’s face, narrowly missing his eye. In all, it took five adults to resolve this situation – six counting the teacher. Luckily, the deputy who held the student has specialized, advanced training in Gracie Survival Tactics (GST), or it might have necessitated more. GST is a martial art, modified for use by law enforcement, military, and first responders. Practitioners use principles such as leverage and distance management when grappling with an opponent, regardless of the other person’s size. The deputy in this situation knew how to keep the child safely contained until he ran out of gas. The child eventually calmed down. Obviously, confidentiality requirements prevent us from saying more about the situation, but I want to assure the public that the child was not harmed. Professionals with the school and the child’s parents are working to meet his needs. I am grateful to the News of Orange for providing me this forum to educate the community about our services, and I am glad people care enough to call my office when they see something that concerns them. If you’d like to learn more about our work, please contact Lieutenant Roberson at our office to talk about joining an upcoming Citizens’ Academy. His number is (919) 245-2921. Previous Next

Join Our Team at the Orange County Sheriff's Office of North Carolina! Explore Exciting Career Opportunities! Basic Requirements for Employment High school diploma or GED. Minimum age of 20 required for detention officer. Minimum age of 21 required for deputy positions. United States citizen. Drivers license with good driving record. Must pass criminal and personal background check (a felony conviction and/or some, but not all, misdemeanors are disqualifiers). View Pay Scale Sheriff's Office Benefits Health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance. State Government Retirement System Pension. 401(k) plan. Paid holidays and vacation. Paid sick time. Family and medical leave. School parental leave. Civil leave (Jury Duty). Flexible compensation plan. Tuition reimbursement. Ask about additional benefits. We now offer percentage increases to base pay if you have earned: * Associates, college, and/or masters degree * * Intermediate or advanced law enforcement certification * * Intermediate or advanced detention certification * * Foreign language proficiency * * Years of related experience * Thank you for your interest in applying with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office! Please follow the instructions below to complete the online Sheriff F-3 and other tasks. Orange County Employment Application: Follow the below link to download, fill out, and print the Employment Application. Employment Application Online Sheriff F-3 : North Carolina Sheriffs' Training and Standards requires that a Personal History Statement be completed. You can find it at: F-3 Personal History Statement Next Steps (Criminal History Checks): Please contact the Clerk of Court in each county you have lived during the past 10 years. Obtain criminal records checks from these counties for the 10-year period. You should obtain criminal records from North Carolina and any other State where you have resided to include where you attended college and high school. Final Steps: Follow the link below to download, fill out, and print the Release of Information form. Release of Information Submit all above documents to the Sheriff's Office. The Personal History Statement and Release of Information forms must be NOTARIZED. Additional Information: Provide copies of: Driver’s License Social Security Card Birth Certificate High School or College Diploma Please complete the Authorization to Release Information form and have it notarized. Ensure documents are notarized if needed. Notify Lt. Kim Walker once you have completed these tasks. You may contact her by phone or by email Phone: 919-748-9570 Email: kiwalker@orangecountync.gov

00775fbf-15fd-448f-9896-2a79098b619e < Back 𝗔 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗼, 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 November 19, 2025 The presence of federal immigration authorities in the Triangle area brings fear to our communities – fear among and for neighbors, coworkers, friends, and loved ones. Here’s what we want you to know: • We do not participate in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations and are not included in the planning or carrying out of any federal immigration enforcement activities. • If you, or someone you know, are vulnerable to immigration enforcement operations, please stay tuned to trusted news sources, know your rights, and have a plan. • You can reach out to one of the many local organizations supporting vulnerable community members. We will continue to be in close contact and share information with the leaders of these organizations. In this time of heightened fear, we want to assure our community – especially our most vulnerable residents – that we will continue to protect and serve all community members. Sheriff Charles Blackwood Orange County Chief Celisa Lehew Town of Chapel Hill Chief Chris Atack Town of Carrboro Chief Jason Winn Town of Hillsborough 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 Siembra NC Support Resources www.siembranc.org/en-toolkit/defend-yourself-from-ice-and-know-your-rights Hotline information: www.siembranc.org/la-migra-hotline ; 336-543-0353 El Centro Hispano Information on safety protocols, preparedness, or Power of Attorney, please call (919) 283-6062. For attorney referrals, legal information, and legal resources, call (919) 307-1995. For any other need or service request, please call (919) 687-4635; (919) 945-0132; (984) 208-2158. As community needs grow, volunteers who are willing to assist with outreach, deliveries support, and community safety efforts are welcomed. Your time and presence can help expand capacity and reach more families in need. Please contact mrocha@elcentronc.org . Know Your Rights (English) https://chambermaster.blob.core.windows.net/userfiles/UserFiles/chambers/9250/File/El_Centro_Hispano/Know-Your-Rights-Packet-English.pdf National Immigration Law Center Employer Guide Explore the North Carolina Justice Center’s comprehensive resources for immigrants, including multilingual “Know Your Rights” guides, family preparedness toolkits, and information on accessing health care and public benefits. www.ncjustice.org/resources-for-immigrants/ Safe Families Guide for Immigrants - https://elpueblo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAFE-FAMILIES.pdf The Orange County Civil Rights and Civic Life department page has resources and information available: www.orangecountync.gov/KnowYourRights 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗷𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳 𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘀 𝗷𝗲𝗳𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰í𝗮 𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗼 𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 La presencia de autoridades federales de inmigración en el área del Triángulo siembra el miedo en nuestras comunidades: miedo por nuestros vecinos, compañeros de trabajo, amigos y seres queridos. Esto es lo que necesita saber: • No participamos en las operaciones de Control de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) ni de Protección de Fronteras y Aduanas (CBP) y no estamos incluidos en la planificación ni puesta en marcha de ninguna actividad federal de control de inmigración. • Si usted, o alguien que conoce, se encuentra vulnerable ante las operaciones de aplicación de las leyes de inmigración, esté atento a fuentes de noticias de confianza, conozca sus derechos y tenga un plan. • Puede ponerse en contacto con una de las muchas organizaciones locales que apoyan a los miembros vulnerables de la comunidad. Seguiremos en estrecho contacto y compartiremos información con los líderes de estas organizaciones. En este momento de miedo, queremos asegurarles a todos, especialmente a nuestros residentes más vulnerables, que continuaremos protegiendo y sirviendo a todos los miembros de la comunidad. Sheriff Charles Blackwood Orange County Jefe Celisa Lehew Ciudad de Chapel Hill Jefe Chris Atack Ciudad de Carrboro Jefe Jason Winn Ciudad de Hillsborough ### 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗼𝘀 Recursos de asistencia de Siembra NC: www.siembranc.org/en-toolkit/defend-yourself-from-ice-and-know-your-rights Información telefónica: www.siembranc.org/la-migra-hotline ; 336-543-0353 El Centro Hispano Si necesita información sobre protocolos de seguridad, preparación o poderes notariales, llame al (919) 283-6062. Para recomendaciones de abogados, e información y recursos jurídicos, llame al (919) 307-1995. Si tiene alguna otra necesidad o busca un servicio, llame a (919) 687-4635; (919) 945-0132; (984) 208-2158. A medida que vaya creciendo nuestra comunidad, necesitaremos voluntarios para asistir en los esfuerzos de divulgación, distribución de ayuda y seguridad comunitaria. Su tiempo y su presencia nos ayudarán a ampliar nuestras capacidades y a llegar a más familias necesitadas. Escríbanos a mrocha@elcentronc.org . Conozca sus derechos (en inglés) https://chambermaster.blob.core.windows.net/userfiles/UserFiles/chambers/9250/File/El_Centro_Hispano/Know-Your-Rights-Packet-English.pdf Guía para empleadores del Centro Nacional de Legislación sobre Inmigración: Explore todos los recursos para inmigrantes del Centro de Justicia de Carolina del Norte, incluidas las guías multilingües "Conozca sus derechos", los kits de herramientas de preparación familiar y la información sobre el acceso a atención médica y beneficios públicos. www.ncjustice.org/resources-for-immigrants/ Guía para la seguridad de las familias inmigrantes: https://elpueblo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SAFE-FAMILIES.pdf La página del Departamento de Derechos Civiles y Vida Cívica de Orange County ofrece recursos e información: www.orangecountync.gov/KnowYourRights Previous Next 1/0

Request to be added to the Orange County Sheriff Office's Community Watch. Community Watch Sign up for daily emails below. You can start a community watch in your neighborhood or area. Contact 1st Lieutenant Roberson for more information: Phone: (919) 245-2921 Email: troberson@orangecountync.gov

The Special Victims Unit at the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Special Victims & Crisis Unit Since 1993, our Special Victims & Crisis Unit has provided support to crime victims throughout Orange County. We understand navigating the aftermath of a crime is overwhelming. Our dedicated team works to ensure no victim faces this journey alone. Our Approach We provide personalized support by: Serving warrants for related crimes. Assisting victims with Domestic Violence Protective Orders. Connecting survivors with essential resources. Guiding victims through the criminal justice process. Coordinating with community support agencies. Providing confidential crisis intervention, advocacy, and support. Our unit works closely with community organizations to create a network of support for crime victims. Whether you need immediate assistance or ongoing support, we're here to help. Call (919) 245-2900 . Click Here for Crisis Unit Information & Services major nate fearrington Major Nate Fearrington (pictured to the left) leads the Special Victims & Crisis Unit. Contact him with any questions: Email: nfearrington@orangecountync.gov Phone: (919) 245-2919 lieutenant Brian sykes Lieutenant Brian Sykes manages day-to-day Special Victims & Crisis Unit Services. Contact him with any questions: Email: bsykes@orangecountync.gov Phone: (919) 245-2948

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96750c8d-28e1-489f-80c6-00b9994c081c #23, Mental Health Response Unit April 28, 2021 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood We seem to be responding to calls regarding mental health with increased frequency. More and more, we hear from community members who feel law enforcement should not be involved in these situations at all. Those who feel this way may not realize the Orange County Sheriff’s Office is much more than a law enforcement agency, and arrest is not the only tool we have at our disposal. Patrol deputies at a modern sheriff’s office certainly do protect the community by investigating crimes, enforcing traffic regulations, and arresting those who have broken the law. However, a deputy’s duties are much more comprehensive. We also serve as emergency medical responders, public servants, peace keepers, referral sources, property checkers, overdose reversers, regulatory agents, negotiators, and mediators. We all know that a mentally ill person often needs treatment more than they need to be arrested. We also know there are not enough mental health beds or services in this country, especially for people of low wealth or those who are under insured. People in mental health crisis sometimes make decisions they would not make if they were well. Sometimes these choices result in criminal offenses, actions that pose grave risks to self or someone else, behaviors that make others uncomfortable in public spaces, or choices that victimize other people. Frankly, my deputies are called to mental health crises because we are available 24/7/365, we are mobile, and we have a highly efficient dispatch system. Who else has the infrastructure we do? If a mentally ill person knocks on your door, perhaps half-naked, talking about aliens practicing mind-control techniques by beaming proton lasers through the electrical outlets, who else are you going to call? What if your depressed teenager won’t come out of his or her room and you realize the handgun you keep in your night table drawer is now missing? Deputies are not mental health clinicians, but they are trained in de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques, they have the necessary statutory authority to transport subjects to a medical facility, and they are trained in best practices for safely containing violent behavior if needed. At present, we are the professionals most readily available and best suited to step into the service chasm in our mental health system, and we have the best chance of helping someone become a patient, not a defendant. All that said, we hear our community is asking for something different, something more, something better. So far, however, the conversation seems to be about taking emergency response away from us, without proposing viable solutions for creating an alternative infrastructure and system for appropriately meeting the acute needs of the mentally ill while simultaneously protecting the public. Therefore, I am creating a Mental Health Response Unit (MHRU) within the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to more specifically tailor our service to the needs of people with mental illness who are in crisis. This unit is in the development stage, and we are looking for clinical partners. The deputies staffing the unit will have specialized training in verbal judo, crisis intervention, hostage negotiation, and mental health first aide. Additionally, one of the assigned deputies will be a drug recognition expert, one of a handful across the state trained to recognize not only that a person is under the influence, but also able to identify with great accuracy what drug is responsible for the person’s impairment. This knowledge can inform appropriate response. Deputies assigned to this unit will drive vehicles with subdued graphics and wear uniforms with elements identifying their special focus. MHRU deputies will have rotating schedules, concentrating where possible on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, the days on which we responded to mental illness emergencies most often in 2020. Among their goals will be serving as resource professionals for community members concerned about the mental health of a loved one. They will also intervene in mental health situations before they develop into criminal ones, and before others become victims. Additionally, they will strive to connect those in need with appropriate mental health treatment resources in Orange County. Please let me hear from you with your thoughts. As stated above, this is a new initiative I am developing. I hear that people do not want “law enforcement” responding to mental health calls, but until there is another system operating in the breech, the responsibility to respond remains mine. I will not ignore it, but I will definitely try to respond in a manner consistent with the values of this community. Previous Next

Learn more about Visitation at the Orange County Detention Center. Detention Center Visitation You have the option to visit a detainee in-person or virtually using a system called HomeWav. Virtual Visits: Free 30-minute virtual visits are available by using the detention center's terminals. A user must go to HomeWav.com and schedule a weekday visit between 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The user must come to the detention center at the scheduled time to use the system. If you wish to visit virtually on your own mobile device or tablet, you must install the HomeWav app. Video visits using your device cost $.30 (cents) per minute. Video messages of up to one minute in length cost $.60 (cents). In-Person Visits: Detainees submit a visitation list weekly of persons with whom they wish to visit. Those visitors must fill out the form linked below , and have it approved, in advance. Then they must bring the chosen form of photo identification with them for any visit.

8a24a292-fb35-4fef-ba23-569374c495e0 #60, The Budget Process May 29, 2024 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood In early May, county manager Bonnie Hammersley released her recommended budget for the upcoming fiscal year, only a few weeks after she announced her plans to retire effective July 31, 2024. Chief among Bonnie’s many accomplishments during her time here in Orange County is her approach to the budget. She introduced a process for wrestling with this enormous task that I believe will remain as her most profound legacy. Personally, I am glad she will lead us through the budget adoption process one more time before she concludes her service. Bonnie started working for Orange County in the summer of 2014. At that time, I was actively running my first campaign. I had been involved in the budgetary process while serving under the former sheriff, and I think it is fair to say the county’s system at the time was complex and convoluted. I worked to understand different concepts, such as a zero-based budget versus a balanced one, and I worried about the process, which felt exceedingly daunting. Once elected in November, I met with the county manager. The very first thing Bonnie told me was not to worry about the budget. She promised the process would be simplified and it would work better. She was correct, and I’ve never been more grateful. State law requires county managers to present a balanced budget each year. I frequently spend time with North Carolina’s other 99 sheriffs, and when I hear their nightmarish budget stories, I am so appreciative of Bonnie’s leadership and the guidance of the wonderful team in finance. But for the difference in scale, county and household budgets resemble each other. When designing a budget, it is important to first determine income sources and fixed expenses. Next, emergencies and unexpected costs should be anticipated before ultimately charting a spending plan for the year that prioritizes needs while still allowing room to accommodate values-based decisions regarding any wants. Guiding principles for drafting a budget, whether public or personal, should include reasonableness and achievability. Bonnie and deputy county manager Travis Myren brought a new process to Orange County. Instead of each department submitting their own budget requests for consideration, management organized us into functional leadership teams, such as Education, General Government, and Human Services, where departments with thematically similar missions collaborated. Along with Emergency Services, the Criminal Justice Resource Department, and the courts, the Sheriff’s Office became part of the Public Safey group. Each department examined its desired programs, equipment requirements, interesting projects, and training needs, and selected its top five priorities for the year. These priorities formed the Public Safety master list. As a team, we then ranked items on the list, selecting the top three from each group of five. If a particular item on my list was also valued by other departments in the group, we ranked it highly. Essentially, we were collaborating to vet each department’s budget request and forward it with the support and approval of the Public Safety team. In this manner, we focused on the needs, narrowed the list of wants, and presented a mutually agreed upon priority list to the manager. Bonnie and Travis would then search for cost-effective ways to meet the identified needs. At every step, the process sought to get the best bang for the taxpayers’ buck and be a good steward of the funds entrusted to Orange County government. Meanwhile, the manager repeated this process with other functional leadership teams, eventually combining requests into a balanced budget which she recommended for adoption to the Board of County Commissioners. The Commissioners would then meet with each department to fine tune the budget, working from a set of priorities and numbers that reflected consideration, discussion, ranking, and trimming by knowledgeable people. This process, like many other things, morphed somewhat during the pandemic, but the tenets of it still guide us today. The thought that the Sheriff or any department head can financially run amuck is far-fetched. It is entertaining at best and dangerous at worst. With Bonnie’s guidance, we participated in a process that looked outward, not inward, and started with dedication to serving residents and exercising fiscal responsibility. It is no secret that I want to lead a premier agency, progressive in the way we think, work, and train. I am grateful to Bonnie and her team for helping me accomplish these goals within a budget that has been vetted by my peers, supported by the manager, and approved by the commissioners. I wish Bonnie Hammersley well in her retirement and future adventures, and I thank her for making the budget process transparent, logical, and efficient. ### Previous Next