The Lowdown Archive

“Love people. Cook them tasty food.” Those are six powerful words. It is purely coincidental—but nonetheless appropriate—that we christened our office cooking group Grill Team 6.

A team of deputies comprises this cadre of chefs, and a rotating cast of characters provides frequent assistance and hilarious banter. Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Organization (SOCO) is the nonprofit 501(c)(3) that contributes financial support to and hands-on help with office initiatives, fundraising efforts, and food-prep projects.

SOCO and Grill Team 6 will again showcase their partnership on April 29 at our annual and highly anticipated Chicken Pickin’ fundraiser. That day, they fire up a dozen giant grills at 5:00 a.m. and prepare barbecued chicken plates with green beans, potatoes, and a roll. Members of the Timeless Cruizers Car Club donate the chicken and assist with grilling duties. SOCO helps with the behind-the-scenes prep necessary for such an ambitious undertaking. They also source supplies, help plate and package approximately 1,000 meals, and sell tickets. Drop by the office at 106 E. Margaret Lane in Hillsborough to purchase yours!

In 2023, SOCO used Chicken Pickin’ proceeds to help purchase 67 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for law enforcement and the South Orange Rescue Squad—its largest single donation to date. In the last two years, among many other contributions, SOCO has funded meals for disaster volunteers after Chantal, purchased CPR mannequins and child safety seats, replaced AED batteries and pads, ordered a new US flag for the office, and supported our annual Shop with the Sheriff event.

SOCO also helps us with our roasted corn-on-the-cob sale at Hog Day, an annual community event in September. Grill Team 6 knows just the right ratio of soaking to roasting time, and SOCO offers every customer a dazzling array of seasonings for a customized flavor experience. Every year, SOCO uses some of the corn sale revenue to award the Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass Memorial Scholarship to a high school senior planning to study criminal justice in college.

My team and I are committed to helping people age in place with dignity and support. We regularly prepare a hot dog lunch for up to 75 residents experiencing food insecurity or who are homebound. Grill Team 6 and Detention Center dietary staff cook the franks and fixings. SOCO packages the meals before we load them into Meals on Wheels vehicles for delivery.

We also believe in supporting those who visit or travel through Orange County. Therefore, we occasionally prepare food for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill while UNC Hospitals care for their children. It is incredibly stressful to be away from home, worried about your child, surrounded by strangers, and far from your usual sources of comfort and support. Coping with all of that—and figuring out how to feed yourself every day—is nearly impossible. Once again, we rely on SOCO to help us prepare, package, and serve the meals.

SOCO volunteers make snow cones and serve popcorn at community events. They bring us lunch on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. They show up to support and feed school bus drivers at our annual appreciation breakfast. But believe it or not, they are not only about food!

Last year, by my conservative estimate, they provided more than 1,500 hours of service, saving tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars. Many help with Shop with the Sheriff. Some come to the office to shred and file important documents. Others helps fingerprint those who need background checks for work. If we need a photographer at a community event and my communications manager is busy, we call Rob. When it’s time to put classroom materials together for Citizens’ Academy, Ken is the wizard.

Want to get involved? Buy tickets for the Chicken Pickin’—on sale now through April 20, 2026. Order ten or more plates and we will deliver. Consider attending our Citizens’ Academy, where you can have a good time, learn about the inner workings of our office, and qualify to become a SOCO member upon graduation. Plus, thanks to SOCO, we usually provide dinner! Clearly, we take Virginia Woolf to heart. She said, “One cannot think well, love well, or sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Take it from me—you also can’t Sheriff well! When we feed people, we are connecting with the community we serve, and SOCO volunteers help us do it.

Bon appétit!

An education is a wonderful thing to have, but social media is probably not the best place to find one. That said, you can learn a lot if you know where to look. I enjoy listening to author and motivational speaker Ryan Leak, because he regularly delivers nuggets of wisdom. I recently watched one of his videos in which he spoke about “parakaleo.” Now that I know this concept, I see it in action everywhere.

Parakaleo comes from the Greek words para, meaning “alongside,” and kaleo, which means “to call.” Simply put, parakaleo is the practice of coming alongside of someone and encouraging them forward. With such a mindset, a person does not let others shrink back; rather, he or she supports them as they move forward in a positive direction.

Dean Smith, the legendary, late UNC basketball coach, intuitively understood parakaleo.  He taught his players that after scoring, they should point to the player who passed them the ball, publicly sharing the credit for the basket by acknowledging the assist.

I saw my friend Bob Epting the other day, and he looked a little down. I was on my way to an appointment, and I didn’t have much time, but I stopped and asked him if he was okay. He said he just finished a slightly stressful, time-sensitive task and that he was otherwise fine. I told him how much he matters to me and reminded him to take care of himself. We had a nice exchange, and as we were talking, a young man walked up and asked for help with a dead car battery. I started to arrange for a deputy to bring him a jump box, but Bob interrupted and said, “You go on, Charles. I know you are headed somewhere. I’ve got this.” I spent a few minutes giving encouragement and care to Bob, and before we even parted company, he was paying it forward by investing helpful energy into someone else. Parakaleo in action is contagious, much like laughter and enthusiasm.

With the right mindset, anyone can pull alongside someone and push them forward. Sadly, the reverse is also true. Remember the old saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me”? I think we all know words can indeed hurt, and I believe destructive criticism is the opposite of parakaleo. I once attended an event to which I wore my favorite sport coat, a handsome tie, my favorite boots, and a nice pair of crisp blue pants. My wife picked out my jacket, and I love it. As soon as we arrived at the event, three or four people came up to me and complimented my beautiful coat before one person walked by and criticized my wardrobe choices. That one dig really stung, hitting me with more power than the multiple compliments, not because I am thin-skinned, but because of something scientists call negativity bias. With survival as the goal, evolution wired our brains to pay more attention to threats than to compliments, which is why the way we talk to people matters. We have the power to balance the scales by making sure people hear kindness more often than criticism.

I recently gave the keynote at WHCL’s Hometown Hero luncheon during which the station celebrated those honored throughout the year in a popular weekly promotion. Almost no one in that room thought they did anything heroic – most of them said, “I was just doing my job.” However, we are a community full of people who notice the good deeds of others, pull alongside them, and push them forward by nominating them for public recognition because we know that what they do matters.

Elite paracletes know that support can also be a passive practice. In other words, serving others doesn’t have to be hard or make you break into a sweat! Sometimes just listening to someone who seems down, harried, or frustrated is all it takes to allow them to move forward again. Put away your phone, make eye contact, avoid interrupting, and give the gift of your undivided attention. Usually, people don’t need us to offer solutions for their problems. They just need our support as they work through them.

Every Tuesday morning, as we conclude staff meeting, I say, “Go forth and do good things.” Maybe I’ll start saying, “Go forth, do good things, and encourage someone to move forward with you.”

First responders must react to what occurs, which can often feel like a game of “Whack-a-Mole,” where a player uses a padded mallet to bop motorized pests on the head when they pop up. If you’ve ever played, you know additional moles continue to spring out ─ often players face several at the same time.

People frequently ask me to identify the most important issues in law enforcement today. In many ways, that’s like asking me to name the biggest moles rather than focus on preparing deputies and detention officers to successfully serve the community regardless of what problems surface. Using my “Whack-a-Mole” analogy, I certainly understand that we need to react and respond to the critters that surface most frequently. But as a leader, I know that difficulties of the moment are not necessarily the most important. Building and maintaining a team that anticipates and adapts to change is the most important issue in law enforcement today. It is also my most important duty. It is critical that I recruit, train, equip, support, and retain people who can protect and serve no matter what pops up.

Despite its status as a profession rich in history and tradition, a law enforcement officer does not operate in a static world. Even people who entered the field less than a decade ago find themselves working in a very different environment today. This reality certainly keeps me engaged, even after 45 years. No two days are the same, much less the years.

At our office, we have what we call “The Standard.” It is not a policy document, but rather a mindset. Although “standard” can mean garden-variety or average, we mean something quite different. Our standard is not mediocrity, but rather excellence, and we aspire to it every day. We anticipate change and, as creative-thinking, resilient problem-solvers, we adapt to emerging societal issues, law changes, and technology improvements.  In this way, we uphold our standard and build our culture regardless of the challenges we face.

I want to share three examples, starting with the growing mental health crisis. I am not just aware of the conversations occurring at the local, state, and federal levels; I participate in them, working with stakeholders, our Criminal Justice Resource Department, and my colleagues on the Governor’s Crime Commission. But deputies and detention officers experience the ramifications of this crisis daily and must adapt and increase their skills now. They do not have the luxury of such discussions, nor can they wait for mental health system reform, the completion of a new crisis facility, or the funding of a grant proposal. It is imperative that I provide them training and tools such as verbal judo classes, crisis intervention skills, mental health first aid, and similar courses. We see people’s daily struggles, witness the impact on loved ones, and respond to suicides and overdoses. Accordingly, I also continually monitor employee wellness and provide appropriate resources.

COVID-19 certainly brought with it many societal changes. The pandemic taught a master class in the importance of leveraging technology and modernizing long-standing policy. For example, even though video and audio equipment made virtual court appearances possible years before 2020, it took the crisis to accelerate the legal and cultural changes necessary to regularize this efficient practice. Therefore, throughout our agency, we examined where else this lesson might apply.  Now, we now primarily use video visitation at the detention center. Loved ones find it more convenient and detention officers have more time to attend to other critical duties. By embracing and adapting, we improved.

My final example shows that I do not only expect staff members to adapt to change ─ I also challenge myself to stay flexible. Although I still personally find it difficult to sport facial hair while wearing my dress uniform, I changed our policy when I saw clear evidence that deputies and detention officers with well-groomed beards, moustaches, or sideburns could be both professional and approachable. Likewise, I saw the merit in allowing visible tattoos. As society’s views toward body ink shifted, I recognized that by forbidding tattoos, we were causing exceptional applicants to apply elsewhere. A tattoo has no bearing on a person’s ability to perform his or her duties at the highest level; therefore, I changed my stance.

Referring again to “The Standard,” we must continually adapt, change, and grow.  Remaining nimble is our superpower, because maintaining the ability to provide for public safety, regardless of issue, problem, or emergency, will always be the most important issue in law enforcement.

As the final days of 2025 tick away, it has now been 45 years since I began my law enforcement career. On December 16, 1980, when I first put on the uniform as a deputy, I never imagined such longevity. As my third term as Sheriff continues, my father’s advice, “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life” deeply resonates with me.

I periodically reflect on my first days as Sheriff back in December 2014. I expected establishing a new culture to be challenging, but it turned out to be relatively easy. I centered everything on the premise that employees are a Sheriff’s greatest asset. I trusted that if they felt important, valued, supported, and appreciated, they would perform well and earn community respect. We took a fresh look at our policies, adjusted those that were well-intentioned but poorly planned, and engaged in a continual process of evaluation and improvement. With state-of-the-art training and equipment, employees are safer. They think creatively, work efficiently, and interact confidently with the public and those in our custody at the detention center. I hear almost daily how well they represent the mission and values of this office.

About a year ago in this column, I wrote about the importance of partnerships. Every time we collectively solve complicated problems, we learn something from the other professionals involved, and we improve our working relationships. Almost every crisis we face is easier because of the ones that came before it; there is simply no substitute for experience. Coalitions formed during rapidly evolving, tense, and dangerous situations tend to be particularly strong, and we rely on this trust when public safety is at stake. Because relationships are of immeasurable value to a Sheriff, I continuallydevote energy to building new ones. Trust must be built before the blue lights flash; therefore, we work to build connection with those we serve at community centers, in the courts, through the schools, at parades and public events, and with those who walk in the front door seeking assistance with administrative needs, civil process, or personal crisis.

It’s no secret that providing 24/7/365 patrol and detention services for a county of more than 150,000 people spread across 401 square miles and bisected by two major interstates is an expensive undertaking. A Sheriff must be a fiscally responsible steward of public funds, and I value our excellent working relationship with the Orange County Board of Commissioners and Kirk Vaughn, our county budget director. We technically operate under two budgets – one for the detention center and one for all other operations. Chief Deputy Tina Sykes carefully balances our needs versus our wants as she manages both. She evaluates every expense using a simple test: if the item, initiative, training, or program directly relates to the safety of our employees or the public we serve, it is a need. Other requests may fall more into the category of a want. For example, newer, smaller, more powerful flashlights might be nice to have, but we only purchase them after meeting higher priorities.

Many sheriffs across the nation have struggled with hiring and retaining employees. Some now provide hiring bonuses, a practice I prefer to avoid. I believe in hiring right, not rushing to hire right now. Retention bonuses, however, have merit; rewarding longevity helps a Sheriff keep talent and build institutional knowledge. We are fortunate to have a staff member dedicated to identifying and hiring quality candidates and ensuring their continual training. Moreover, you can’t buy advertisements as powerful as the personal testimony of employees who are proud of the work they do and the colleagues with whom they do it! We continually find that current team members are among our best recruiters.

I chair the North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission whose website links to the NC Statistical Analysis Center and the NC Justice Data Portal. Using 2024 statistics— the most recent available—I am pleased to report that Orange County has a crime rate 14.1% lower than the statewide average. This figure represents 790 fewer crimes per 100,000 people and a meaningfully lower individual risk per resident. I am also pleased that our Criminal Investigations Division has solved 100% of homicides occurring during my tenure as Sheriff.

I am very fortunate to do work I love alongside truly talented people. Together, our accomplishments have exceeded my expectations, and I head into 2026 grateful for the opportunity to continue serving. I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season.

On May 17, 2025, a person walking a dog in a wooded area off Hawk Ridge Road found human remains. Six months later, little is yet known about the decedent. However, that does not mean little has been done. I am writing to provide an update about the case and peek behind the curtain into the complexity and challenge presented by this type of case.

When investigators and deputies arrived at the scene that Saturday afternoon, they found the scattered bones of a mostly skeletonized person. As is standard practice, we asked the on-call medical examiner (ME) to respond. We then conducted a joint investigation, both seeking to learn the decedent’s identity and what happened.  In such cases, we look for evidence to determine what, if any, crimes occurred, and who committed them, while the medical examiner focuses on when the person died, by what cause, and in what manner. Although cause and manner may sound the same, they are not. Cause refers to the specific medical reason for the death, while manner goes to whether the death occurred by homicide, suicide, accident, natural causes, or if the reason is undetermined.  For example, if the ME found a “penetrating cerebral wound from gunshot injury to the head” as the cause of death, the manner could be homicide, suicide, or accidental.

Nothing at the scene provided clues to suggest the cause of the decedent’s death. Further, it remains unclear if the person died in those woods or if someone transported the body there after death.

After investigators photographed and measured the scene, collected evidence, and the ME examined the remains, officials transported the body to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Raleigh. The OCME also found no obvious cause of death, not surprising given the pronounced decomposition of the body.  Staff there estimated the person died sometime in the latter part of 2024.

After studying the bones, a medical examiner specialist opined to our investigators that the decedent was likely a female adult, probably between 18 and 35 years old, with braces on only her bottom teeth. 

Although we hoped this specific detail might help identify the person, investigators searched the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) without success. This repository contains information about missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases. Specifically, it includes 650 missing persons and 158 unidentified bodies from North Carolina.

When the OCME is unable to identify a person, the case passes to a forensic anthropologist for a more detailed examination of the bones. Such work can reveal important biological details, such as age, sex, stature, and perhaps ancestry. Skeletal abnormalities sometimes point to cause of death or reveal details about the decedent’s medical history or prior trauma. It may be several more months before the forensic pathologist issues a report. We are hopeful it will provide new direction for the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, genealogists will attempt to identify the person using an analysis of DNA from the body. An original DNA lab report includes tremendously long strings of letters representing clusters of genes. A genealogist’s work can take several years as he or she slowly narrows the pool of possibility, using databases to compare these strings with millions of other profiles. Eventually, the genealogist might find a DNA match to a probable distant relative. The genealogist will then continue inching forward, seeking a first-degree relative such as a parent, child, or sibling.

Our experience teaches us the importance of remaining patient despite the painstaking and delicate nature of these investigations. Two years ago, a genealogist matched the DNA profile from an unidentified murder victim found more than 30 years ago in Orange County to some paternal cousins. Through a series of interviews, we eventually located a maternal aunt who reported that the family lost contact with her niece more than three decades prior. A subsequent analysis of the woman’s DNA confirmed the relationship and solved the mystery of the victim’s identity.

Patience also proved critical for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. Earlier this month, they announced the identity of a woman killed in 1968 – probably setting the North Carolina record as the oldest cold case solved with the assistance forensic genealogy. Sheriff Willie Rowe said, “Law enforcement never gives up…and we embrace technology and partnerships to solve crimes.”

Returning to the Hawk Ridge Road case, investigators have no reason to think there is any danger to residents in the area. Quite possibly, someone may have dumped the body in the woods after the death occurred elsewhere. But undoubtedly, neighbors remain disconcerted by the tragedy, and somewhere, a family longs for information about their loved one.

If you have any information, please call Sergeant K. Goodwin, the lead investigator, at (919) 245-2918.

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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.

In the United States, a train strikes a person or a vehicle every three hours. That’s approximately eight collisions a day – an astonishing figure. The bad news continues: North Carolina has the thirteenth highest number of rail trespass deaths in the country.

September is Train Track Safety Month. You may have seen social media posts from Operation Lifesaver warning people to respect train tracks. Their annual campaign, “See Tracks? Think Train” raises awareness about rail safety. Train tracks are critical national infrastructure, and they are very dangerous places.

It would be absurd to walk in the middle of a highway or airport runway, but people don’t seem to have the same healthy respect for the risks of railroads. Obviously, trains cannot swerve, and it can take them more than a mile to stop. By the time an engineer sees a vehicle or a person on the tracks, he or she can only apply the brakes, blow the horn, and watch in terror while waiting for the inevitable – a helpless, terrible feeling.

Walking alongside the tracks is only marginally safer, as the rough, rocky ground can cause unexpected falls or twisted ankles. I hate to imagine stumbling onto the track and being unable to stand back up while a train thunders at me. Moreover, people who walk along rail lines often fail to realize that trains are wider than tracks; they typically have a significant overhang on each side.

It may come as a surprise that railroad tracks and the surrounding right of way are not public thoroughfares.  Tracks – even abandoned ones – are private property, and if a person is on them without permission, he or she is trespassing.

People trespass for a variety of reasons. Some are simply using the tracks as the shortest distance between two points, and they do not understand the dangers. Other people, often social media users, select tracks as a background for photography. Cell phone cameras have been around for about two decades now. It is probably not coincidental that rail trespass deaths over that period increased 44% (from 498 fatalities in 2002 to 718 in 2023). Too many people seek the rugged aesthetic of wood, metal, and sky, but rail lines have nothing to do with graduations, engagements, album cover art, or holiday greeting cards.

It seems that one would hear a train coming, but typically, the sound only arrives seconds before the machine itself. Modern trains glide on tracks with very little friction. The crushed rock under the tracks further dampens the noise. The sound waves radiate outward and behind the train more than they project forward. Especially in an environment with significant levels of ambient noise, such as nearby vehicle traffic or wind blowing through trees, a person in front of the train may not hear it until it is only seconds from impact.

People almost never survive a direct hit, and if they do, they generally suffer catastrophic, life-changing injuries. The chance of survival is only slightly better when the train strikes someone from the side. If the train throws a person clear – rather than under the train, off a bridge, or into a solid object – he or she might live, but the odds are still terrible.

It is surprisingly difficult to judge the speed of a moving train. One reason is that larger objects appear to be moving more slowly than smaller ones traveling at the same speed.  Airplanes fly fast, yet when I watch one descend over the interstate into RDU airport, it appears to crawl through the sky. A second optical illusion compounds the difficulty of judging train speed. When humans view parallel lines stretching into the distance, our eyes perceive them as getting closer to each other until they meet at the horizon, even though our brains know tracks remain the same distance apart. This phenomenon causes the train to appear both farther away and slower than it is, a dangerous combination.

Drivers should never attempt to race through a marked crossing before the arms come down. I’ve seen people get trapped between the barriers with disastrous consequences. Likewise, motorists should stop, look both ways, and proceed with extreme caution at junctures without physical barriers and flashing lights. 

Trains are not required to sound their horns at all crossings; therefore, silence does not mean safety.

Except for passengers, employees, and those with explicit permission from the railroad, no one belongs on train tracks. Trains are fast, surprisingly quiet, and unable to stop quickly. A shortcut or a photograph is not worth the risk.

As Sheriff, I operate and manage the county’s detention facility, also called the jail. Although my staff and I strive to make the facility the safest place in the county, that is a tall order. Every day, we must keep approximately 105 involuntary residents safe, fed, and healthy. We facilitate access to legal counsel, support contact with family members, prepare and serve three meals a day, and provide transportation to court appearances and medical appointments throughout the state. It is not easy work, and lately, it feels as though the job has become more challenging.

The hard truth is that a jail population generally consists of people who were not dealt many advantages in life and/or made very unwise choices. Many are in poor physical health, some struggle with addiction, and a significant percentage wrestle with mental illness.

Law enforcement officers have known for decades that people with unmet mental health needs often surface in either the emergency department or the criminal justice system. Sadly, society has made little progress devising appropriate alternatives. I should add that Covid made matters worse. Not only did that year of social isolation exacerbate existing mental health problems, but as we adapted to social distancing, we formed some new habits that continue to keep us apart. Increased isolation can be hard on anyone, and mentally fragile people tend to fare worse.  I think about the Great Depression and how the stresses of that time echoed for decades, and I believe history will repeat in the post-Covid world.

Mental health resources are scarce, especially for people without insurance. Those in our care who desperately need treatment sometimes languish in our facility, often experiencing severe declines in their level of functioning. Jail, after all, is a place of isolation, and that experience—already difficult for most people—can be dangerous for those with mental illness. Some of our detainees suffer so severely and decline so precipitously that they engage in deeply disturbing behaviors, some of which involve their own excrement.

Possible reasons for this behavior include gaining a sense of control, expressing anger and frustration, or avoiding interactions with others, but that is not why I mention this unsettling practice. I bring it up because we have so many people suffering with mental illness in the facility that what once was rare is now a near-daily occurrence, and it poses a huge challenge for the staff. Can you imagine if, on top of your already difficult duties, you had to regularly clean up urine and feces? What would that do to YOUR mental health?

I’ll tell you what it’s doing to my staff. They are burning out. They are tired. They are finding other jobs, even if it means accepting a pay cut. In recent years, when a shortage of detention officers plagued many agencies, our numbers held steady, but suddenly, our staffing levels are dipping below my comfort level. That said, although it worries me, I choose to focus on the positive. As we know, a pendulum doesn’t swing only one way.

One of our detention officers recently retired and we posted congratulations to her on our Facebook page. Former residents of the jail posted comments, one praising her grace and compassion. Another noted her kind, nonjudgmental approach. The honoree responded that despite the difficulties of the job, she found her career rewarding. She mentioned bonds formed with co-workers and the enduring friendships she built. You can’t buy a better recruitment tool!

I expect significant relief when the Orange County Crisis Diversion Facility (CDF) becomes a reality. By design, it will work in an integrated manner with our population to provide specialized behavioral health treatment to those whose mental health struggles disrupt daily operations of our facility. Incarceration is not a humane response to mental illness; the CDF will provide appropriate treatment in a secure facility at lower cost than a traditional hospitalization. The CDF will have 16 beds in its crisis unit and 12 spots for those who need a slightly less restrictive program of care. Construction will start soon, and this long-anticipated, much-needed resource will help those whose misdeeds stem from mental-health issues, not criminal intent. It will also help improve working conditions for detention officers, whose critical service to this county cannot be overstated.

In essence, I wrote this entire column to express appreciation for the detention center staff. Their work is typically unseen and unsung, but I thought readers would appreciate learning about their dedication despite the present difficulties.  When the Crisis Diversion Facility opens, it will ease the burden. In the meantime, I hope you will join me in giving detention officers the respect and support they deserve.

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Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall in South Carolina at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, 2025, weakening into a tropical depression before noon. As late as 5:55 p.m., the National Weather Service maintained Orange County would likely get no more than two inches of rain with a reasonable “worst-case scenario” of less than four inches.

As we now know, Chantal stalled, doubled down, and dumped an unprecedented 10 inches of rain in Orange County. One person died when floodwaters trapped her vehicle as she traveled to work. First responders found her body about 18 hours later, changing the lives of her family and friends forever.

Other numbers also illustrate the devastation: almost 8,000 calls to 911 telecommunicators, 421 residential properties impacted (of these, the storm destroyed four and delivered major damage to 215 others), 190 residents displaced, 75 crashes/accidents, 14 people injured, and nine road closures. Financially, Orange County suffered more than $20.5 million in residential damage, almost $21 million in commercial destruction, and $28.2 million in harm to facilities such as public works yards and vehicles, water/wastewater treatment plants, and park buildings and equipment.

I want to acknowledge the stress and frustration involved in recovering from such a crisis. Times are undoubtedly tough in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and the road can be long. Western North Carolina, still digging out 10 months after Helene, knows the hardship all too well.

Fortunately, there is a process in place to assist with recovery. It involves coordinating many levels of government and takes time. The desire to return to normal quickly is understandable, but people who skip prescribed steps risk disqualifying themselves from sources of funding for which they might otherwise be eligible.

A full discussion of the process is beyond the scope of this column, but I want to summarize some highlights. It begins when local Emergency Management officials recommend and the chair of the Board of Commissioners declares a State of Emergency, both of which happened on July 7. County and municipal personnel then begin to assess the disaster’s local impact. Residents with damage or excessive debris may register with the county’s “Crisis Track” tool on the readyorange.org website. [This action is one avenue to document damage, but it is not the only way to preserve eligibility for financial relief should it be granted. People should also take photographs and save all receipts.] Additionally, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration make site visits; both entities have assistance programs with complex eligibility criteria.

After Orange County officials compile damage estimates, they submit a preliminary assessment to North Carolina Emergency Management. With damage exceeding $600,000, we potentially qualify for state assistance. Meanwhile, our losses are also combined with those of other affected counties. The collective total is used to determine if the state is eligible for other state and federal assistance.

My summary above is a simplified explanation of a complicated financial process. Meanwhile, volunteers begin efforts to help affected people with clean-up and emergency repairs. The Crisis Track reporting tool I mentioned earlier identifies the people who need assistance, their location, and the scope of their trouble. This information is then funneled to volunteer agencies with rosters of trained people ready to help with the physical demands of recovery, and to others capable of managing, tracking, and dispersing financial donations.

Most readers are at least somewhat familiar with the services of the American Red Cross. They responded immediately to help with Chantal recovery. Likewise, the North Carolina chapter of Volunteers Active in Disaster (VOAD) convened a diverse group of organizations to alleviate the storm’s impact by delivering services in an effective, efficient manner. According to their vision statement, VOAD wants to “… be the recognized non-governmental leader of the disaster preparedness, response, and recovery sector.” Some of the organizations currently working in Orange County include Baptists on Mission, Team Rubicon, Grounded Boots, the Homebuilders Association, and Habitat for Humanity.

Throughout my career, emergency management professionals and I have seen the dangers and inefficiencies of untrained volunteers showing up in the aftermath of a disaster. Despite their good intentions, they are often unprepared and ill-equipped for the danger and difficulty of the work. Likewise, an incoming tide of unsolicited, undirected donations becomes a management, storage, and disbursement challenge, one with which western North Carolina still wrestles. Please see links to agencies on readyorange.org and consider offering your financial support.

If you are physically able to help clean-up after disasters, I hope you will consider researching vetted, established volunteer groups in advance of the next crisis. Learn how to join their ranks. Tell them the Sheriff sent you!

My father taught me the irony of water: we spend as much time fighting to keep it out of some places as we do trying to contain it within others. Without it, nothing lives, yet it can be incredibly destructive. That contradiction illustrates a critical truth. We cannot control water, and therein lies its danger, especially when it comes to water safety in the summer.

Water is powerful, unpredictable, and deceptive. The phrase “still waters run deep” refers to a quiet, calm person with a complex, interesting, inner life – an apt metaphor for the currents and turmoil often lurking beneath the surface of any body of water. I think of the four-acre pond at the Eno Quarry, which closed in 1964. It has claimed at least four lives and broken the bones of countless others who jumped into its serene beauty only to be surprised by its surprising depth and hidden dangers.

Did you know a toddler can drown in only two inches of water? Children that young have small bodies, large heads, and are still figuring out how to control their limbs. They usually find it difficult to return to an upright position if they slip in the bathtub or stick their head into a carwash bucket. One panicked inhalation in the water can lead to a blocked airway. Obviously, the shallow end of a pool and the ocean’s edge are therefore dangerous for little ones.

If you’ve seen a drowning depicted on TV, you probably have the wrong expectations. Drowning is a surprisingly silent event, not a noisy, violent episode of splashing and screaming. The person is unlikely to call for help; the human body prioritizes breathing and staying afloat over shouting. Sufferers often look calm or even passive to people standing nearby. Victims are usually vertical in the water, with a tipped back head, a mouth just at water level, and glassy, unfocused eyes. They may appear to be climbing a ladder, but they are not making effective movement in any direction.

My wife and I have a pool, and our grandkids love it. But the mere presence of that pool means they are always in danger at our house, not just when we are swimming. If they are on the property, someone must have eyes on them. Around a pool, the water watcher is akin to a designated driver at a bar or party but with even more restrictions. Think about the lifeguards you have known. They sit alone, with no phones, conversations, or other distractions. The job requires total concentration and sobriety.

People frequently assume children are safer if many adults surround the pool, lake, or seashore. The reality is that if everyone is “watching the kids,” no one is watching them carefully. Even casual conversation distracts; the risks increase exponentially if people are drinking, reading, or scrolling on their phones.

Children who take swimming lessons early in life often experience a decreased fear of the water, increased ability to submerge their faces, and some can even demonstrate a survival float−although they might not understand its purpose. I am all for early swim lessons, as long as no one forgets that children younger than three or four rarely have the physical coordination and the mental judgment to be a competent, water-safe swimmer.

Experts do not recommend floaties, water wings, or innertubes. These aids can slip off, pop, or trap a child upside down. Life jackets, also called personal flotation devices or PFDs, are the best form of protection. Manufacturers design them with floatation pads that turn a person – even an unconscious one – face up in the water.

Everyone on a boat, not just children, should wear a PFD. Intending to grab one in case of an emergency is like planning to buckle your seatbelt during a traffic crash. If the boat capsizes or collides with another vessel, a PFD will rarely be within your reach when you surface after being thrown into the water. Moreover, if you sustain an injury during the emergency, you may have trouble swimming to a PFD or putting it on.

No one, regardless of ability, should swim alone. Leave the water if you hear thunder or see lightning. Have a rescue plan, make sure you have a phone nearby, and learn CPR.

Water both enhances and threatens life – sometimes in the same moment.  Tragedy happens when we assume it won’t. Stay sober, take your turn watching, and above all, respect the power of water. That simple act can mean everything.

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In 1829, Sir Robert Peel established three core ideas and nine principles central to ethical law enforcement. I encourage you to look him up.  Often considered the father of modern policing, his almost 200-year-old work has aged quite well. The “Peelian Principles” continue to underpin my beliefs about ethical law enforcement and community relations.

In brief, Peel’s core ideas state that law enforcement’s primary goal is to prevent crime, not catch criminals; public support is the key to crime prevention; and officers gain this support by respecting the community. I agree with Peel’s thinking. My team knows I expect professional, ethical, and empathetic behavior as we interact with the people we serve, and we enjoy widespread support.

We recognize how special this support is. In recent years, the news media has pushed a narrative of widespread dissatisfaction with law enforcement, amplifying the voices of those clamoring to defund the police. Moreover, and perhaps most disingenuously, journalists hammered away at stories of extensive vacancies and officer attrition as if there were a dishonorable explanation for the departures. They frequently failed to provide the highly relevant context that the 1994 Crime Bill and financial grants from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program enabled the hiring of over 100,000 new officers and deputies in the United States leading to a significant reduction in crime. Thirty years later, those hires are completing their careers and earning retirement, just as do other civil servants such as teachers, health department workers, and courtroom clerks.

Likewise, our agency congratulated many experienced deputies and detention officers on their retirements in recent years. Fortunately, we have not suffered the number of vacancies other agencies faced.  We continue to enjoy a steady influx of talent as we hire people new to the profession and offer positions to seasoned professionals from other agencies. I like to think the word is out that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office delivers community confidence and safety, and it is easy to sell products you believe in.

Success breeds success. Businesses want to open in communities where people feel safe to move about and explore. Criminals tend to avoid places bustling with positive energy, and as people feel safer, they stay out longer, spend more, and talk about how much they love the area in which they live. Thriving businesses seek out such vibrant communities, and as they grow, so does the commercial tax base. Local government then has additional resources to invest in schools and use for infrastructure improvements.

As a rising tide lifts all boats, a thriving community also makes the area more attractive to people who want a public safety career. My office currently operates at 93% of our employment capacity, an enviable statistic. I am fortunate to have a recruiter who works hard to find qualified candidates, especially those who are a good fit for our agency. We serve in an honorable profession, and it is one with a lower barrier to entry than some others, as a college degree is not a prerequisite.

A motivated candidate can complete the application process in 30-45 days. Once hired, a person starts working in the detention center, gaining experience, and eventually choosing whether to continue serving there, or to pursue the additional training necessary to become a deputy. If the new-employee already holds law enforcement certification when hired, they generally work in the detention center for a shorter period, meeting colleagues, learning our culture, and waiting for an opening in the field-training program.

We begin incorporating new team members into the fabric of our agency immediately. First, and most importantly, we orient them to the standard of our office and make it clear that everyone must commit to upholding it. Second, we provide strong leadership and support from the top down as new employees acclimate to our brand of service-delivery. Third, we demonstrate that we value our employees, and we do so by investing in appropriate training and high-quality equipment. When people feel both committed to the mission and valued by the team, a culture of stability grows, benefitting the individual, the agency, and the broader community.

Someone will wear the badge. I want to find the best and the brightest to have that privilege. Once hired, it is my job to lead in such a way that our employees believe serving with us is work worthy of their time and talents.  If you or someone you know might be a good fit, please call Sergeant Glenn Powell at 919-245-2944.

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When people get scammed, they sometimes hesitate to report what happened because they are embarrassed. However, almost anyone can fall into a sophisticated trap and make a judgment error. Scammers are highly trained, and good at what they do. They take advantage of people by exploiting fear, hooking into a desire for easy money, or manipulating social isolation or loneliness.

First, let’s look at fear scam examples. A person claiming to be a deputy calls, informing you of a warrant for your arrest for missing jury duty. Pay the bond AT ONCE or be in jail by suppertime. Perhaps you open a text from E-ZPass with a final reminder about unpaid tolls. PAY NOW or incur additional fines and face legal action. Maybe you get a call about your grandchild on spring break in a foreign county, now jailed because of bad judgment or hospitalized following a horrific car crash. Wire money WITHOUT DELAY before he or she misses the flight home or dies because of lack of medical care.

If you hear high-pressure scare tactics like these, activate your skepticism. Remember that panic is the enemy of clear thought. Tell the deputy to call you back in 10 minutes. Ask yourself how E-ZPass would have your phone number. Think about why the “jail” or “hospital” called you, not your grandchild’s parent.

One thing is certain. No representative of a legitimate agency will ask for payment in Walmart (or other) gift cards or crypto currency. Hang up on anyone who does. Likewise, no representative from a utility company, financial firm, or government office should have an issue if you ask for a written description of the alleged problem.

Another common ruse is for scammers to look for people willing to forget common sense when faced with a great deal. For example, a scammer might offer to pay $5,000 for a car listed for $3,000 on Facebook Marketplace. Someone might offer to pay thousands of dollars to anyone willing to help him or her claim a large inheritance. In both cases, the scammer counts on the victim being so eager for easy money that he or she will eventually slip and act against his or her own self-interest. The best defense is to remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

I think there is a special place in hell for those who take advantage of elderly, isolated, or lonely people. Some criminals form on-line relationships with teenagers and slowly build trust. Eventually, the scammer asks for and receives sensitive photos which he or she then uses to blackmail the victim. Other scammers target elderly people, perhaps those whose spouse recently died. As daily contact becomes a vital emotional connection, long-distance romance blossoms, soon followed by requests for ever-increasing amounts of money. Eventually, the victim ends up with an empty wallet and a broken heart.

Worldwide, scammers bilked people out of more than an estimated trillion dollars in 2024. Often employed in organized call centers, they receive training, work from a script, and have fake credentials. Some even receive voice coaching to help them either exaggerate or minimize an accent. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence tools are increasing the sophistication of the industry even further.

Although some scammers get caught and serve significant federal prison sentences, these crimes are difficult to prosecute. Call centers are often in other countries where we do not have arrest powers, and collaboration with overseas law enforcement agencies can be a complicated, slow process. Scammers use sophisticated layers of technology, including virtual private networks, encryption, and burner phones. They can make it appear they are calling from a local number, despite being thousands of miles away. They change numbers, networks, and tactics constantly, frustrating law enforcements’ efforts to ascertain patterns and gather sufficient evidence for arrest or conviction. Furthermore, scammers usually require hard-to-trace payment such as gift cards, bitcoin, or wire transfers.

Reporting a scam to law enforcement rarely leads to recovering money, but it is still a good idea. We can help limit the possibility of additional loss by educating victims about next steps to take, including placing alerts with credit bureaus. Additionally, each victim’s experience helps investigators learn new patterns and emerging criminal trends, helping us prevent others from suffering similar losses.

When it comes to scams, prevention is easier than prosecution. Please educate yourself about this growing problem. Share what you learn with family and friends, especially those who might be vulnerable. Watch our Facebook page to learn about increased local activity or new twists on old routines. Call our Community Services Division at 919-245-2921 for more information.

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