The duty of the Sheriff is broad in North Carolina. This is not intended to represent every aspect of the Sheriff's Office, just the most basic duties.

Generally, the Sheriff of the county is expected to :

·         protect the citizens and property in the county from crime and mischief.

This is accomplished through arresting violators of the law through warrants or evidence of a crime. Patrolling the county, checking security of homes and businesses, traffic stops to uncover drug or alcohol violations are a few of the ways the Sheriff's Office works through the Patrol Deputy.

·         uphold the laws of the land

There are some laws that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff, but for those that do, it is an ethical and often legal responsibility to act. Many violations allow for officer discretion on how to handle the situation, others require a certain outcome. It is important to have experience and professionalism in the Patrol unit for the protection of the citizens and the effectiveness of the Sheriff's Office.

·         security and care of the jail and prisoners   

            NCGS 162-22 and 162-23, NCGS 162-33 through 162-59.1

The county is in the process of plans for a much needed jail and, of course, budgetary restraints will slow the progression. The Beaufort County jail is too small and too old to be safe for the inmates and the jailers. There has been talk of increasing the size of the jail in order to "rent space"  to other prison systems in order to subsidize the cost to Beaufort County, this is a bad idea on at least two levels:

First, just like with any get-rich scheme there are hidden costs and few advantages. A paper by *Linda L. Zupan titled "This Jail for Rent: the Anatomy of a Deal Too Good to be True" outlines a similar situation.

Spokana County, in Washington State, built a larger than needed correctional facility and found themselves in a budget crunch. The county entered into a "profitable" agreement to rent space to Washington D.C. Department of Corrections in 1988. The county had spelled out everything - what inmates they would take (non-violent, non-mental issue, medium security only), only prisoners with no legal actions pending, and the inmates to be transferred had to volunteer to go to the newer  prison in Washington State.

The outcome was not what Spokana County had anticipated. DC had sent the worst of what they had, the prisoners did not know where they were going, and they arrived earlier than scheduled. Within three days the new prisoners were protesting by burning clothes, flooding toilets, and throwing food trays. The prisoners filed legal actions against Spokana County because of the move and civil right violations; the negative publicity was reflected by lax community support.

Four months after it began, Spokana Commissioners voted to end their contract with Washington D.C. What money Spokana County made in the ordeal faded in comparison to what it cost them overall.

Secondly, inmates have families, friends, and/or associates that are left on the outside. Many inmates are poor and from inner city neighborhoods with experiences much different than what Beaufort County is familiar. It would be expected that some of these "families, friends, and/or associates" would follow their loved ones to our neighborhoods, bringing with them additional problems that Beaufort County does not need.

·         security and care of the court system (courthouse)

Deputies, known as Bailiffs, provide security inside the courthouse. Bailiffs open and close court, move inmates in and out as cases are called, and control the basic safety and conduct of the courtroom.

·         the service of court documents assigned to the Sheriff's Office

            NCGS 162-14 through 162-18.

If the court documents, writs, summons, civil and criminal papers are not served - there would be few people in courtrooms. Even though this sounds more like a solution than a problem, it would not take long to realize significance of this duty.

If you owned a rental property and needed to remove a non-paying tenant or take a shoddy contractor to court, or receive protection through a restraining order, you would appreciate the court documents being served promptly. Many legal communications go through the Sheriff's Office and with documents being generated daily, they require quick service. This keeps the courthouse running; delays would cause scheduling conflicts, numerous other problems and the waste of tax payer funds.

Our problem

Beaufort County is far too big for one person to patrol effectively, therefore the Sheriff needs Deputies. Our Sheriff's Office is setup for 4 shifts of 5 officers per shift. This in itself is difficult on shift supervisors to contend with the workload and the nearly 850 square miles in the county with only 5 deputies.

If only things were that good! Beaufort County Sheriff's Office has been short handed for years. Some shifts are being run with two or three officers. This IS NOT due to budget problems or the commissioners not funding officers. The fact is, officers leave (often quickly) due to a lack of leadership by the Sheriff. This flaw comes in different ways - often officers get tired of the lies, unethical policies, ego - "do as I say, not as I do" atmosphere, and obvious waste of resources. A micromanagement style of "governing" only appears to work for a short time, being a free society, those under the thumb of the Sheriff will find other employment - as I stated, quickly. This not only does not work, it is dangerous to the citizens of Beaufort County and the officers.

Many court documents and papers go un-served at the Sheriff's Office. Often they stack up in the office until the court date expires, then they are returned to the courthouse with a note "unable to locate". This is not to say that a phone call isn't made to serve a subpoena by phone now and then. If asked why papers are not served, the reply would be 'not enough manpower', this is the same explanation given for not investigating crimes. It is time to stop giving excuses, it is time to get the job done.

Enforcement of the law is a large part of the Sheriff's Office; they are, of course, part of the law enforcement community!  It is hypocritical and unethical to enforce laws that you yourself refuse to obey. It is time to elect a Sheriff who realizes they are NOT above the law.

* Linda L. Zupan (1993). This Jail for Rent: The Anatomy of a Deal Too Good to Be True. American Jails.

reprinted in:

Stojkovic, S., J. Klofas, D., and Kalinich (Eds). (2004). This Jail for Rent: The Anatomy of a Deal Too Good to Be True. The Administration and Management of Criminal Justice Organizations. p. 508-520.