I believe that we are all equal citizens of Randolph County, and my 10 Point Plan is aimed at ensuring everyone has a voice and enjoys the same level of service regardless of political affiliation, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, religion, sex, ability, or military/veteran status.  The 10 points together address both the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office’s (RCSO) operational components and the issues facing our county to achieve a single goal of creating and sustaining a safe and welcoming environment for each and every one of our county’s citizens.

1. Open Communication and Transparency

When I took office in 2018, I chose to have an open-door policy for everyone, including the general public.  The office of the Sheriff needs the support of citizens to do its job efficiently.  Before the pandemic, our office was open to the public by having free house events at Halloween and Christmas.  We have presented canine training days for the public to view.  I have met with leaders of the Hispanic community to discuss issues they have with law enforcement.  Since the pandemic has forced many people to stay in, the Sheriff's office has utilized social media to get our message out for our citizens.  We will continue to find ways to become involved in the communities throughout Randolph County.

2. Eradication of Illicit Drug Trafficking in Randolph County

  I implemented the Criminal Interdiction Team, which focuses on the drug trafficker.  We have continued to improve each year with seizures of money and drugs.  When I took office, the Sheriff's Office only had one canine trained for drugs; since then, we have obtained a total of nine multi-purpose dogs. We now have the capability of having a canine working in our county 24 hours a day.  We have received a scanner at our detention center that detects drugs attempting to be smuggled into our facility through body cavities. We have acquired a substance abuse advocate at our detention center that provides information on programs that help addicts with reform.  The substance abuse advocate costs the taxpayers nothing compliments of Sandhills Rehabilitation. Our Vice and Narcotics team investigates all reports of illegal drug activities and prepares the cases for court.  This team is regularly communicating with other outside entities, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration.  I appointed a member from our department to be a task force officer who works as a DEA member for larger and more complex drug cases. I have been in contact with our community members who have shown interest in starting a long-term addiction rehabilitation center here in Randolph County for drug abuse. This facility will be a positive tool that will assist those who are seeking help for addiction.

3.  Proactive Property Crime Prevention

The Randolph County Sheriff's have several more deputies available to take calls while on patrol. After taking office, I found many deputies assigned patrol cars to drive to and from the office. Many of these members did not have the training or knowledge to take calls or stop vehicles, which created a massive liability for the Sheriff's office. These members have received training to answer these calls while driving to and from the Sheriff's office campus. We have opened communications with the public to improve relations. We have assigned a community watch coordinator that meets with members throughout the community to discuss concerns. I plan to resume meetings with citizens throughout the county to discuss issues they have encountered. These meetings had to be rescheduled due to Covid-19 circumstances

4. Reducing Call Response Times

  Since taking office, response times have improved to approximately twelve minutes on any given call. The improvement of seven minutes is a considerable improvement, but we must find other alternatives for more improvement. We opened the Archdale satelite office during 2019 and chose to temporarily close it due to pandemic.

5. Thorough Crime Investigation

There are no cases that are least important than others. I have instructed all detectives to follow-up on all calls as soon as possible. We strive for exemplary quality investigations, no matter the merit of the case. I continue to monitor the investigative process from the original call to the finished product. Our staff has also looked into cold case investigations to attempt to solve some of the older cases. We have one member assigned to reviewing and re-interviewing witnesses involved in these cold cases. We intend to resolve as many cold case investigations as possible. We treat all cases regardless of importance as a priority.  

6. No Political Maneuvering

We now have a promotional system implemented that makes it fair for each candidate that applies for that position. The Captain of the division, for which the position is vacant,  determines what candidate is best suited for that job. I do not check and see a candidate's political affiliation before hiring or promoting them. We also have an Internal Affairs section that investigates complaints and makes determinations on dismissals.

7. Policy and Procedural Standardization

We now have a policy and procedures manual that is available to our members. Before, there were so-called policies and procedures, but very few employees knew where to find them. The policies and procedures are available to each employee to allow a uniform and consistent work atmosphere. This also takes out our staff's political decision making when making decisions about an employee's future.

8. Personal Accountability in the Office

The Randolph County Sheriff's office members are now being held accountable for their actions.  The Internal Affairs section will investigate those complaints that are deemed relevant. I have personally dismissed members that I hired and placed in leadership positions due to the high standards that we have created.  The Sheriff's Office is by far more important than one individual, which includes me. We have to state precedence and be consistent with all decisions made from a leadership role.

9. Adequate Training and Equipment

 Since taking office, we have trained many employees who were not adequately trained before being given a patrol car. All members who are assigned a patrol vehicle must complete field training. Field training consists of answering calls, stopping vehicles, and knowing how to complete the forms and reports necessary. Other officers who are assigned to train them critique the members.  Without this training, the sheriff’s office was under an incredible amount of liability due to no training. This increases the awareness of safety and gives our office more workforce when checking calls. We have now been trained on less lethal weapons, such as our pepper ball shotguns. All deputies have been fitted for outer carrier vests, which prevents back problems and provides the deputy with all equipment readily available. Upon taking office, the Sheriff's office only had one canine trained to search for drugs. We now have nine canines that work our roads and highways, searching for illegal drugs, which gives us the ability to have a canine available 24 hours a day

10.  A Safe Randolph County Jail

The Randolph County Detention Center has become safer due to many new additions. First, we have hired a detective that investigates and charges all crimes committed in the center. We have added more officers and have a substance abuse counselor assigned to help the many addicts that are housed there. Our command staff assigned to the detention center are very proactive in working with other detention officers assigned to work pods. We have our canines travel through the detention center searching for drugs. The canines also display a command presence to the inmates, which decrease criminal behavior. The detention center has been equipped with an X-ray machine that locates drugs or weapons being smuggled in by arrested persons. Before drugs were hard to locate even when searched due to being inserted into body cavities.