#67, The Power of Partnerships

I often emphasize the importance of partnerships and the power of working together towards a common goal. I also tend to get reflective in December! As we close out the year, two events stand out as examples of how partnerships prove essential to our ability to serve the public and respond effectively to crises.

Law enforcement officers, emergency responders, and members of the criminal justice community form partnerships in three primary ways. We network at conferences and trainings, where we learn, compare strategies, and swap stories about our successes and challenges. We form alliances while serving on various boards or committees where we have opportunities to brainstorm and hear about the experiences of others. We also forge these bonds in the field when we respond to crises affecting multiple jurisdictions and involving more than our own area of expertise. Coalitions formed during rapidly evolving, tense, and dangerous situations tend to be particularly strong.

One situation exemplifying the power of partnerships occurred this past summer as multiple agencies worked together to find a convicted murderer who escaped from North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections (DAC) personnel as their transport van arrived at the UNC Hospital in Hillsborough.  The inmate traveled through unincorporated Orange County, across multiple jurisdictions, and eventually to Kannapolis more than 100 miles away.

I quickly contacted Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders. From past collaborations, I knew the value of his skills and capabilities. We have worked many critical incidents together searching for lost people, and an escaped prisoner is a missing person who doesn’t want to be found.

Thanks to my relationship with Director Saunders and other strong, pre-existing partnerships, I assembled a multi-jurisdictional, cross-disciplinary team within hours. This group then efficiently conducted a massive manhunt lasting several days before successfully returning the person to DAC custody. But here’s an interesting twist: while I was feeling gratitude for longstanding partnerships, new relationships were forming, one of which would prove instrumental prior to the end of the year!

Let me explain. During the search, Director Saunders met and worked with Kenneth Smith, Chief of Emergency Preparedness for DAC, and saved his contact information. In late September, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, causing catastrophic destruction, death, and trauma. The storm obliterated power, water, and communications systems and washed away roads. People were trapped, injured, or unaccounted for, and downed trees and missing bridges hampered search and rescue efforts.

Although all first responder agencies have a role to play in such disasters, preparing for and coordinating the response to such an event are some of the primary functions of emergency management professionals like Director Saunders and Chief Smith.

Within days, Saunders deployed to Black Mountain to assist with the logistics of the recovery efforts. While listening to one of many coordination briefings, Saunders learned that the storm rendered two nearby prisons uninhabitable. Combined, 400 incarcerated women were living without power or water, creating unsafe and dangerous conditions for them and the staff charged with their protection. Where to move them and how to transport them safely despite the infrastructure problems were huge challenges. If DAC officials could not relocate the offenders quickly, they would need law enforcement officers to provide additional security at the two facilities, depleting the number available for critical search and rescue missions.

Upon hearing of this problem, Saunders immediately recalled meeting Chief Smith during the manhunt. He called Chief Smith on Sunday, and they discussed and established evacuation plans. Monday morning, buses arrived at the two facilities. By evening, authorities safely re-located all offenders. Emergency management officials no longer needed to worry about the safety of the women or a shortage of people available for search and rescue efforts.

Next, Saunders and Smith worked together to get permission to allow the town to use the now empty prisons as receiving locations for incoming bulk commodities such as fuel and water. These items required either secure storage or law enforcement personnel to protect them. Through the synergy of their relationship, Saunders and Smith found a solution that did not require scaling back other critical work.

As we move into a new year, I find myself marveling at both the power of nature and that of human connection. We must maintain a collective commitment to helping our neighbors in western North Carolina. I resolve to nurture my existing partnerships and devote energy to building more of them.  I encourage you to do the same.

Best wishes for a safe and healthy 2025!

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