Latest / Voices of the Albemarle / Ep. 30: A Sit Down with Pasquotank Sheriff Tommy Wooten

Transcript

Ep. 30: A Sit Down with Pasquotank Sheriff Tommy Wooten · Voices of the Albemarle

0:14
SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome back to Voices of the Album Marl.
0:16
SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Izzy Kelly Goss.
0:19
SPEAKER_01: And that is my co-host, Infraiser.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: I'm supposed to talk like that from now on.
0:24
SPEAKER_01: I think it'll be more entertaining for me, anyways.
0:27
SPEAKER_01: Today we're going to be joined by Pasquatink County Sheriff Tommy Luton.
0:31
SPEAKER_01: But first, Brahaha is upon us yet again.
0:34
SPEAKER_01: For those who are unfamiliar, Braha is a breast cancer awareness fundraiser, which is not quite as funny.
0:44
SPEAKER_01: It's very serious.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: People decorate bras in colorful, fun, and creative and also sometimes heartfelt ways to enter into a competition.
0:53
SPEAKER_01: Every proceed from the event, from ticket sales to bra entry fees, and even people's choice award votes go towards more accessible breast health care for insured.
1:02
SPEAKER_00: Have a bra.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: Well, you can buy one at Walmart.
1:06
SPEAKER_00: And I don't think I will.
1:09
SPEAKER_00: Your choice.
1:11
SPEAKER_01: But all of the funds go towards more.
1:15
SPEAKER_00: Because nobody can see me.
1:17
SPEAKER_01: Well, Amazon can see you.
1:20
SPEAKER_04: Well.
1:22
SPEAKER_01: As I was saying, the funds go towards more accessible breast health care for insured and uninsured women in our community.
1:29
SPEAKER_01: Uh the event itself will take place.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, we could buy a bro.
1:34
SPEAKER_01: You should invent that.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: I think somebody that was on Seinfeld, by the way.
1:38
SPEAKER_01: Oh, sorry, I'm not old.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: Bro.
1:41
SPEAKER_01: The invent, the event itself will take place at Seven Sounds Brewing Company on September 26th, or the 3 to 5 p.m.
1:49
SPEAKER_00: The Bro or the Man's Ear.
1:52
SPEAKER_01: Is that also from Seinfeld?
1:55
SPEAKER_01: I think we need to get you to watch a sitcom from this century.
1:59
SPEAKER_01: If anyone is interested in attending the event, tickets are on sale right now at brahaha.org forward slash eCity.
2:08
SPEAKER_01: Secondly, and I would love to see you make a joke out of this.
2:12
SPEAKER_01: I don't think you'll be able to this time.
2:14
SPEAKER_01: District report cards are in, and Chowan, Camden, and Pasquatank County districts are all announcing great improvements.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: Fantastic.
2:22
SPEAKER_01: Pasquatank has called this their biggest growth yet, achieving no Fs and a 22.1 increase over the last four years.
2:30
SPEAKER_00: Did you ever hide your report cards when you were one kid?
2:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, actually, no.
2:35
SPEAKER_01: I was pretty good up until high school.
2:37
SPEAKER_01: And even then, I think I still managed to come out fairly unscathed.
2:41
SPEAKER_00: I remember I got I got graded down in hands-in neat work because they had terrible handwriting.
2:50
SPEAKER_00: And that was devastating.
2:52
SPEAKER_01: Terrible handwriting?
2:53
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
2:53
SPEAKER_00: I still have terrible handwriting.
2:54
SPEAKER_01: You still have terrible handwriting.
2:56
SPEAKER_01: I've seen it.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: That's right.
2:57
SPEAKER_01: Uh Pasqua Tank has also brought up their graduation rates from 65% to nearly 83%.
3:03
SPEAKER_04: That's great.
3:04
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
3:04
SPEAKER_01: Chowan has raised their grades enough to get their entire district out of the low-performing category, which is an amazing accomplishment.
3:12
SPEAKER_01: And Camden County has a phenomenal 93% graduation rate and has raised their district average from a C to a B.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: So congratulations to all of the What kind of student were you?
3:27
SPEAKER_01: What kind of student was I?
3:28
SPEAKER_00: Was it an A student, a B student, a C student, or what?
3:32
SPEAKER_01: It depends on the subject.
3:34
SPEAKER_00: Oh, good guy.
3:35
SPEAKER_01: I think we should change the subject.
3:37
SPEAKER_01: We don't need to get into this.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: Cost accounting.
3:39
SPEAKER_00: There's a reason I'm into writing.
3:41
SPEAKER_00: Cost accounting.
3:42
SPEAKER_01: I'll say that.
3:43
SPEAKER_01: What?
3:43
SPEAKER_01: Cost accounting?
3:44
SPEAKER_01: I would have probably failed it.
3:45
SPEAKER_01: I don't know what that means.
3:47
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
3:47
SPEAKER_01: There's a reason I do the writing and you do the business stuff.
3:50
SPEAKER_01: We'll put it that way.
3:51
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
3:52
SPEAKER_01: Finally, officers.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: But I don't, I don't, I don't write very often because I don't hand in need work.
4:00
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's why we have computers and you can type.
4:03
SPEAKER_01: So nobody is subjected to trying to strain their eyes to read your handwriting.
4:07
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:07
SPEAKER_00: I still spell wrong on the computer.
4:10
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's why we have auto correct.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: My fingers.
4:12
SPEAKER_01: You're 73 years old.
4:14
SPEAKER_00: I think we should try and oh now everybody knows.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: Jesus.
4:19
SPEAKER_00: Oh man.
4:22
SPEAKER_01: Finally, offers from the Cheshire Constabulary, which I'm so sorry to the citizens of the United Kingdom for butchering that word.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: We don't have constables here in the United States.
4:33
SPEAKER_01: Constabulary.
4:35
SPEAKER_01: Constabulary.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: Wait a why did how did this come about?
4:38
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so basically the officers, constables from Cheshire in the United Kingdom, are on the hunt for 70,000 pints of Guinness after they disappeared last week.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: Who isn't?
4:53
SPEAKER_01: Well, but you can go to a pub and find it.
4:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, unless you are in the Liverpool area, because all of these 70,000 pints disappeared from a depot near Liverpool last week.
5:07
SPEAKER_01: Uh, the value of the stout beer is around$155,000.
5:12
SPEAKER_01: And it was on its way to pubs and it was stolen by get this, the delivery drivers.
5:18
SPEAKER_01: They made off with all 70,000 pints, which is really similar to an event that happened here in the United States in I think the late August, August 17th, where 1,602 cases of Paps Blue Ribbon went missing in Southern California.
5:36
SPEAKER_01: So it really sounds like someone's about to throw an 80s movie rager of epic proportions.
5:41
SPEAKER_00: We just shifted from Guinness to PBR.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
5:46
SPEAKER_01: Definitely definitely different taste.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: It's like a meal.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: It's like a friggin' meal in a glass.
5:55
SPEAKER_01: Right.
5:55
SPEAKER_00: It's like you you have to bow down and you don't drink it, you sip it.
6:00
SPEAKER_00: You No, you have to split the G.
6:03
SPEAKER_00: Nurture it.
6:04
SPEAKER_01: You split the G and then nurture it.
6:07
SPEAKER_01: You have to do that.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: PBR.
6:09
SPEAKER_00: I hate that on that guy.
6:11
SPEAKER_01: PBR you drink in a dive bar.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: I'm not a big fan.
6:14
SPEAKER_01: Or in an 80s movie rager.
6:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm not a big PBR fan, but Guinness is like something.
6:20
SPEAKER_00: And you can't have a so it would take five lifetimes to drink 70,000 pints of Guinness.
6:27
SPEAKER_01: Unless you're throwing an 80s movie rager.
6:31
SPEAKER_01: Obviously.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: Well, you'd have to find a lot of people.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: You can't you take it.
6:36
SPEAKER_01: Have you ever seen 16 candles?
6:38
SPEAKER_01: Have you seen no, sorry, Pretty in Pink?
6:41
SPEAKER_01: Have you seen the giant party that they throw in?
6:44
SPEAKER_00: The only thing I can tell you about Pretty and Pink is that I went to high school with with at the same high school, the guy that directed it.
6:50
SPEAKER_00: But I have never seen the movie.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: Did you know him?
6:53
SPEAKER_00: No, my brother did.
6:54
SPEAKER_00: He was in my brother's class.
6:56
SPEAKER_00: We'll talk about this later.
6:57
SPEAKER_00: No, but but why would I ever go see a movie called Pretty and Pink?
7:04
SPEAKER_01: Well, I would imagine because you were able to date women, but from your reaction, I'm guessing not.
7:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
7:12
SPEAKER_00: Not well.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: I think on that note.
7:16
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna wrap up our news portion for today, I think, and we're gonna head on over to our interview with Sheriff Wood.
8:28
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely my pleasure.
8:29
SPEAKER_05: Welcome.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: We are so glad to have you here.
8:32
SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm just gonna dive right in.
8:34
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure that the people of Pasquatink County are gonna be tuning in for this episode.
8:38
SPEAKER_01: I know everybody is gonna be excited to hear what you have to say.
8:42
SPEAKER_01: Um, I just want to start by asking you what made you want to enter the world of public safety?
8:49
SPEAKER_05: Hmm.
8:50
SPEAKER_05: Well, the honor's uh answer would be I had two friends of mine that I grew up went to school with from elementary, middle school to high school.
8:59
SPEAKER_05: And I was young, you know, back then the average career change was seven.
9:04
SPEAKER_05: I probably had three.
9:05
SPEAKER_05: I was actually working at TCOM, uh building aerostats.
9:08
SPEAKER_05: Oh, wow, for Kuwait and Dubai, all these different places, pretty cool.
9:12
SPEAKER_05: And um, I was like, I just this ain't for me.
9:16
SPEAKER_05: I'd grew up grown up working on tugboats, and uh so naturally I went back on the tugboat.
9:21
SPEAKER_05: You know, I was gone nine months out of the year on the ocean, you know, and uh worked for my dad and three uncles.
9:26
SPEAKER_05: So I had to learn to do each job four different ways.
9:29
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
9:29
SPEAKER_05: And uh I always say that because kind of funny, but I really did.
9:33
SPEAKER_05: And I wanted to, you know, met my now wife.
9:37
SPEAKER_05: Uh we've been dating since high school.
9:39
SPEAKER_05: We've been married for next month, I believe.
9:41
SPEAKER_05: I hope she'll hold me accountable for this.
9:43
SPEAKER_05: 23 years, I believe.
9:44
SPEAKER_05: Congratulations.
9:45
SPEAKER_05: And um, so the first year that we were together, you know, I was still doing the tugboat stuff, and she was like, I don't know if I can do this.
9:55
SPEAKER_05: Like, you've been gone for nine months.
9:56
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, intermittent nine months, but total nine months out of the year.
10:00
SPEAKER_05: And she said, Well, I missed everything.
10:03
SPEAKER_05: Everybody's birthday, every holiday, I was just gone.
10:06
SPEAKER_05: She said, I'm not signing up for that.
10:08
SPEAKER_05: She said, I love you, but I ain't signing up for that.
10:10
SPEAKER_05: I said, Okay.
10:11
SPEAKER_05: I was kind of glad she said that because I didn't really want to sign up for it either.
10:14
SPEAKER_05: Um, hard job, easy living, hard life.
10:17
SPEAKER_05: You know, and I still got cousins and stuff to work on tugboots.
10:20
SPEAKER_05: It was a it was a great experience, very humbling experience.
10:24
SPEAKER_05: And uh, so anyway, I saw my two friends, they were both working in law enforcement, and I was blown away because I was like, you?
10:32
SPEAKER_05: You I was I was like, you're law enforcement, yeah.
10:36
SPEAKER_05: And I was like, wow, they'll let anybody do this.
10:38
SPEAKER_05: I know I'm for sure.
10:40
SPEAKER_05: They taught me into it.
10:41
SPEAKER_00: So you never growing up, this believing law enforcement would have been the furthest thing from your mind.
10:47
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
10:48
SPEAKER_05: Yep.
10:48
SPEAKER_05: Didn't never cross my mind.
10:51
SPEAKER_05: Um, I had a cousin I was very close with.
10:54
SPEAKER_05: He's actually worked for the sheriff's office for a little bit, 10 years at the fire department first.
10:59
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
11:00
SPEAKER_05: Then seven years with the uh previous sheriff Cartwright hired him and uh super um fire investigator.
11:08
SPEAKER_05: And he kept all his fire stuff up from 10 years with the city.
11:11
SPEAKER_05: He's now gone back to the city.
11:14
SPEAKER_05: Um their pay went up and everything.
11:15
SPEAKER_05: And he said, Man, I I really want to go back into fire service.
11:18
SPEAKER_05: So he did.
11:19
SPEAKER_05: He talked about being a fireman when he was little, so he followed right on through.
11:23
SPEAKER_05: I was just living the dream, I guess, you know.
11:26
SPEAKER_05: And when my two friends talked to me about going into law enforcement, I've always seen it, thought it was kind of interesting, but never saw myself being in law enforcement doing.
11:35
SPEAKER_05: I always saw myself doing the family business because we had a trucking business and a tugboat business.
11:40
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
11:41
SPEAKER_05: And uh naturally did both of them.
11:44
SPEAKER_05: And uh, you know, finally said, you know what?
11:47
SPEAKER_05: I don't want fast forward to me working at TCOM.
11:51
SPEAKER_05: I worked there for almost a year for Chap Ward.
11:53
SPEAKER_05: I don't know if you're familiar with Chap.
11:55
SPEAKER_05: Um, I said, you know what, I'm gonna try it.
11:57
SPEAKER_05: Because this definitely right here is not for me.
12:00
SPEAKER_05: So I went to basic training and um and went from there.
12:03
SPEAKER_05: Once I went through basic law enforcement training, uh graduated number one in the class.
12:07
SPEAKER_05: I don't know how I did that, but I did.
12:10
SPEAKER_05: To me, it was very interesting.
12:11
SPEAKER_05: It was like you go to school and you're like your four-year degree, and uh you're past your core classes, now you're getting into your major.
12:21
SPEAKER_05: Well, basic law enforcement training is like you're in your major whole time.
12:24
SPEAKER_05: So it's very interesting.
12:25
SPEAKER_05: So yeah.
12:26
SPEAKER_05: And now here I am, over 20 years later, still doing it.
12:30
SPEAKER_00: You know, just as an aside, you mentioned your wife said that wasn't something that she signed up for.
12:37
SPEAKER_00: You she was the wife of a of her husband was away a lot.
12:42
SPEAKER_00: Now she's the wife of a husband in law enforcement, and that can be just as stressful too.
12:45
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's more stressful for all I know.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it didn't my props props to your to your wife.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: My goodness, she really must hold the fort down for you.
12:53
SPEAKER_05: Yes, she's the boss.
12:54
SPEAKER_05: She's definitely the boss.
12:55
SPEAKER_05: And you know, she said the same thing.
12:57
SPEAKER_05: I didn't sign up for this.
12:59
SPEAKER_05: So but you're home.
13:02
SPEAKER_05: Yes.
13:02
SPEAKER_05: So you gotta take the good with the bad and everything in life.
13:05
SPEAKER_05: But yeah, it it's worked out so far.
13:07
SPEAKER_05: And then, of course, you know, everything else, me deciding to try to uh uh run for sheriff in 2017 and then was successful in doing that.
13:16
SPEAKER_05: Just the good Lord helped me with it.
13:17
SPEAKER_01: Here I am.
13:18
SPEAKER_01: So obviously it's something that you're passionate about.
13:21
SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes.
13:21
SPEAKER_01: What drives that passion?
13:23
SPEAKER_05: Uh, you all.
13:24
SPEAKER_05: People.
13:25
SPEAKER_05: You know, whether people love me or hate me, um, I feel like it's it's it's definitely not just a job.
13:30
SPEAKER_05: It's it is somewhat of a calling.
13:33
SPEAKER_05: Um, not to get too spiritual on everybody, but I do believe it's a calling because it's not something that you would want to do.
13:40
SPEAKER_05: Like you work 12 hours, just when I was on patrol, you work 12 hour shifts in people's, you know, worst moments.
13:47
SPEAKER_05: Right.
13:48
SPEAKER_05: So, and you you carry that.
13:50
SPEAKER_05: So my passion is one kids, because I've seen way too much that any normal human being should have to see.
13:56
SPEAKER_05: And then just helping the kids when they're small, out of fear of what you see when they get older.
14:02
SPEAKER_05: And we've actually been really successful personally, helping, helping some, and then have had just as many failures on the same side, not getting kids to do that.
14:11
SPEAKER_05: But I think the youth, and just I love it's kind of a cliche, if you will.
14:16
SPEAKER_05: I love helping people.
14:17
SPEAKER_05: Everybody says that.
14:18
SPEAKER_05: Like for me, it's not just about helping people, it's about, you know, doing what's right, making the community safer, you know, where people can enjoy themselves in the community.
14:30
SPEAKER_05: And it's very difficult, you know.
14:32
SPEAKER_05: You always see all the bad stuff.
14:33
SPEAKER_05: There's so much good stuff that goes along with it, too.
14:36
SPEAKER_05: But I would say just, you know, saving a life, saving a person's business from you breaking in an arson fire, you name it.
14:44
SPEAKER_05: Just just being that guardian, if you will, over something.
14:49
SPEAKER_00: My my take is that you that's not something that you develop.
14:54
SPEAKER_00: That's something inside of you, and it's been inside of you.
14:57
SPEAKER_00: Is that something you've recognized growing up that you you really want to serve, you want to help people?
15:02
SPEAKER_00: Is that something that came out?
15:03
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and I I think I I didn't realize it until I got into high school.
15:07
SPEAKER_05: I played football.
15:08
SPEAKER_05: And um I was always worried about everybody else and couldn't ever get my own position straight.
15:15
SPEAKER_05: Uh much like today.
15:17
SPEAKER_05: So uh I think that's when I figured it out.
15:21
SPEAKER_05: Okay.
15:21
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, just kind of being wanting to player, a team that provides protection for the quarterback.
15:27
SPEAKER_05: Or cool.
15:28
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
15:28
SPEAKER_05: I think that's when I really knew that I was that type of person before, you know, before law enforcement.
15:34
SPEAKER_01: Kind of going back to what you said, something you said kind of sparked an interest to me, especially because it correlates to my next few questions.
15:42
SPEAKER_01: You talk about, you know, saving a child's life and then wanting to help that child succeed because it's it's that fear of what might happen as they get older.
15:52
SPEAKER_01: What are some problems that you guys run across in Pasqua Tank County relating to that and and just all things in general, as well as like how you at the sheriff's department try your best to tackle them?
16:05
SPEAKER_05: Um like in reference to what we see.
16:08
SPEAKER_01: Just yeah, some frequent problems that we have in our county that you feel like you guys see and and how you guys want to help eliminate them or help better the situation.
16:19
SPEAKER_01: I know that's kind of a really vague question.
16:21
SPEAKER_05: But I think the biggest thing, and I'll just go and just keep keep shooting me the questions.
16:25
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
16:26
SPEAKER_05: Get me back on track.
16:28
SPEAKER_05: Uh I think one of the biggest problems we have is resources.
16:32
SPEAKER_05: Um there's law enforcement has gone way beyond what law enforcement was originally designed for.
16:41
SPEAKER_05: You know, you are a counselor, a referee, a law enforcement officer, you know, a prosecutor.
16:46
SPEAKER_05: You're everything.
16:47
SPEAKER_05: And uh a father figure, you know, we do that, which I really enjoy that.
16:52
SPEAKER_05: Um lack of resources is a big part because I've been on, I can't tell you how many um teenagers or or 10-year-olds that I talk to, and you're talking to them about all these things that, you know, they don't need to be doing and hey, get on the right path, but then you have no resources to kind of, you know, throw at them per se to help them go down that path.
17:15
SPEAKER_05: Um, which is why we're always trying to do stuff with, you know, fathers in the community, dads showing up to the school.
17:22
SPEAKER_05: Um, and I know the city does the same things, and those type programs are gonna save at least one person.
17:27
SPEAKER_05: You know, that's the biggest problem I see in us trying to tackle somebody that's, you know, fatherless homes, you know, I don't want to bring up anything to get anybody offended, but it is a real thing.
17:38
SPEAKER_05: It's a definite real thing.
17:40
SPEAKER_05: And let's see what else.
17:44
SPEAKER_05: You can't always rely on the justice system to fix all the problems, it's not gonna happen.
17:50
SPEAKER_05: Right.
17:50
SPEAKER_05: Right.
17:51
SPEAKER_05: And there's a saying I learned a long time ago, um, and it still holds true today, is that you can never, you're not gonna arrest your way out of problems, not gonna happen.
17:59
SPEAKER_05: It's just not gonna, it's just like my biggest thing now is personnel.
18:03
SPEAKER_05: You're not gonna fire your way out of personnel issues.
18:07
SPEAKER_05: If you do, you're just gonna continue to hire 20, 30% of great things and another 70% of more firable issues.
18:16
SPEAKER_05: So you can't fire your way out of problems.
18:17
SPEAKER_05: So I'm a huge advocate of finding the root root cause of whatever's going on and then trying to go from there.
18:24
SPEAKER_05: Right.
18:24
SPEAKER_05: Okay.
18:24
SPEAKER_05: So I don't know if I answered your question.
18:27
SPEAKER_05: No, you did.
18:27
SPEAKER_01: You definitely did.
18:28
SPEAKER_01: And you know, two of the things that you said are actually great gateways into some other questions that I have for you.
18:34
SPEAKER_01: Um, before I get into those questions, something that you didn't quite touch on that I do want to touch on is violence in the community, especially when it comes to gun violence.
18:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, a lot of that has been more focused on in the city as opposed to the county, and and ECPD is doing a lot of really great things.
18:52
SPEAKER_01: They are working with local ministries right now to try and strengthen the community.
18:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, what do you feel from your personal perspective as sheriff is going to be one of those things that helps move our community away from violence?
19:06
SPEAKER_01: Is it it could just be working with kids, like you said.
19:11
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
19:12
SPEAKER_05: More resources for kids working with kids.
19:14
SPEAKER_05: Um expressing gun laws and bans on guns and on that stuff, it's not going to help.
19:21
SPEAKER_05: I mean, it'll put a band-aid on it.
19:23
SPEAKER_05: You know, if we just use the gun laws and the things that we have in place today to the letter, it it would be uh astonishing how much more strict it really is when you look at it with the gun laws that we have.
19:35
SPEAKER_05: There's a lot of restrictions, a lot.
19:38
SPEAKER_05: But as it relates to kids, there's it goes very deep, especially with firearms, because there is a lot of violence and shootings, and most of it is teenagers.
19:48
SPEAKER_05: Unfortunately, teenagers, there's no no not a lot of parental guidance, if we're just being honest about it.
19:54
SPEAKER_05: There's not.
19:55
SPEAKER_05: I mean, I've been in houses where we have, you know, you've heard of the gangs of bloods in the crypts, you know.
20:01
SPEAKER_05: I've been into a house where there was a grandmother and a mother of teenagers that were involved in a shooting that we had to do a search warrant.
20:09
SPEAKER_05: We didn't know there were small kids, you know, present.
20:12
SPEAKER_05: But you always prepare for that.
20:15
SPEAKER_05: Well, there's all this paraphernalia and verbiage about being a blood gang member and the 031 rules and and you know, being original on the coffee table.
20:27
SPEAKER_05: And that's what the the these teenagers were reading.
20:30
SPEAKER_05: And we had the adults, that's what they're giving them to read, because the reality of it is you have a lot of folks selling dope to pay the rent for mom and grandma.
20:40
SPEAKER_05: I mean, and it it's just a sad truth, but it happens.
20:43
SPEAKER_05: Um and that leads to the pressures on me, as you could imagine living the street life to make that fast dollar and being 13 years old, and you have 40-year-olds and 50-year-olds looking at you to make sure you're providing to pay the rent.
21:01
SPEAKER_02: Right.
21:01
SPEAKER_05: Weird, right?
21:02
SPEAKER_05: Like is that's it's not normal.
21:05
SPEAKER_05: That leads to a snowball effect, and it just goes down.
21:08
SPEAKER_05: Then you have shootings.
21:10
SPEAKER_05: Um but there is a lot of shootings.
21:14
SPEAKER_05: I don't want to say much about it because then that roller coaster, you know, it comes in ways.
21:18
SPEAKER_03: Right, right.
21:18
SPEAKER_05: Uh so knock on wood, we're we're we're doing a lot better now.
21:22
SPEAKER_05: And with the teenagers, it just it baffles me because I wasn't wasn't raised like that.
21:30
SPEAKER_05: And I was raised with weapons around, but with safety, don't touch, you know, all that type of stuff.
21:38
SPEAKER_05: And now it's, you know, street cred, what game can I get in and need to pay the rent for mom?
21:43
SPEAKER_05: And it's just a society's way different.
21:47
SPEAKER_05: And um, with the violence, like in the city's doing a great job, got lots of guns off the streets.
21:54
SPEAKER_05: I know we've seized over I think it was 90 something weapons in the Last year, just off track, you know, traffic stop.
22:04
SPEAKER_05: You'll see us be a little busier doing traffic enforcement.
22:07
SPEAKER_05: Well, that's because for some reason this stuff is traveling, whether it be drugs, guns, whatever, it's doing a lot more traveling today than it did a few years ago.
22:16
SPEAKER_05: Okay.
22:16
SPEAKER_05: It's on the roads.
22:17
SPEAKER_05: It's not in the house, it's in the house, but it seems to be in the cars a lot more.
22:22
SPEAKER_05: So I couldn't say what the uptick is with the low age being a teenager being involved in these shootings.
22:31
SPEAKER_05: Um is hard to say because it's just a it's many factors.
22:35
SPEAKER_01: Social media, school influence, everything.
22:38
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, social media is definitely one.
22:41
SPEAKER_05: Um again, hard for me to realize because I'm grown.
22:44
SPEAKER_05: So when I look at social media, I know right and wrong.
22:47
unknown: Right.
22:48
SPEAKER_05: You know, but that's why, you know, a certain social media has been sued.
22:53
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
22:53
SPEAKER_05: Um, and it they won, you know.
22:57
SPEAKER_05: So I don't know if I can talk about that, but it did happen so.
23:00
SPEAKER_01: We'll keep it vague.
23:01
SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so you things have changed changed in the country.
23:06
SPEAKER_00: You you can take the attitude where you can respond as much as you can, you can respond as quickly as possible, or you can try to practice some proactivity in in your policing.
23:17
SPEAKER_00: Uh, what does the sheriff's office do?
23:19
SPEAKER_00: And I'm this is not a political statement.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: I'm just curious.
23:22
SPEAKER_00: What does the sheriff's office do?
23:24
SPEAKER_00: What can the sheriff's office do to be more proactive and to aid in trying to curb violence and to curb the the misuse of firearms by young kids like that?
23:36
SPEAKER_01: That was my next question.
23:38
SPEAKER_01: Was it?
23:38
SPEAKER_01: It was.
23:39
SPEAKER_05: Well, good.
23:39
SPEAKER_05: Well, education's always key.
23:42
SPEAKER_05: Um, it's getting to the point now where you almost need to have, I mean, we have sex ed in school.
23:48
SPEAKER_05: Um we just agree to disagree on the age because I I don't want to get into that, but you know, what about gun safety?
23:56
SPEAKER_05: I mean, some private schools and public schools used to have the the clay shooting, skeet shooting.
24:02
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
24:02
SPEAKER_05: And well when they do that, they go through gun safety courses and safety classes and stuff for the gun.
24:07
SPEAKER_05: To me, I think that's important to be educated on the safeties of firearms.
24:12
SPEAKER_05: Give me the question one more time.
24:14
SPEAKER_00: What can what can the sheriff's office do to be more?
24:17
SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying more pro What can the Sheriff's Office do to be proactive to prevent some of the things that you're talking about?
24:23
SPEAKER_05: Got you.
24:24
SPEAKER_05: So I think there has to be a, let me put this out.
24:28
SPEAKER_05: I think there has to be a healthy dose between enforcing the law and having some type of aftercare.
24:36
SPEAKER_05: Right?
24:37
SPEAKER_05: Not you're gonna be held responsible for what you did.
24:40
SPEAKER_05: But on the back end, we're gonna help you so that this problem doesn't happen again.
24:45
SPEAKER_05: And one of the best ways that we have found this work, you know, me being a sheriff, even before I was a sheriff, I was still very involved in the community.
24:52
SPEAKER_05: I love they would let me go out and do stuff.
24:54
SPEAKER_05: You know, we would go out as groups and uh engaging in a community, specifically the youth, which is what I campaigned on in 2017, 18, and we still do that today.
25:05
SPEAKER_05: Right.
25:05
SPEAKER_05: Um, we slowed down for a little bit there during the critical incident, just because we had, you know, had a pastor tell me one time, you have to let people be mad.
25:14
SPEAKER_05: You know, it's it's an emotional, it's human, it's a natural response.
25:17
SPEAKER_00: That's interesting.
25:18
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, let them be mad.
25:19
SPEAKER_00: That's interesting.
25:20
SPEAKER_00: They'll come back around.
25:22
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
25:22
SPEAKER_05: Wow.
25:22
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
25:23
SPEAKER_05: And um, so being engaged with the youth, to let the youth see law enforcement in a different light, so to speak.
25:30
SPEAKER_05: That way it does a lot of stuff.
25:32
SPEAKER_05: They become your friend, and then you become a lot less scary.
25:37
SPEAKER_05: It turns the thought of all law enforcement are bad.
25:41
SPEAKER_05: So it kind of it kind of hammers that that uh myth.
25:46
SPEAKER_05: And then they learn to go to you when they have problems.
25:48
SPEAKER_05: Right.
25:49
SPEAKER_05: My friend's trying to give me a gun and wants me to go out and shoot and do X, Y, and Z, because we have grown men in this very community that even before raise the age, that thought it was appropriate to to give the firearm and weapon to this 14, 15-year-old because they're not gonna be charged.
26:07
SPEAKER_05: You know, they're not gonna go to jail.
26:09
SPEAKER_05: Okay.
26:10
SPEAKER_05: And um, you know, they're using these kids to do that, and that's kind of another problem as well.
26:16
SPEAKER_05: Just all generational, it just keeps going and going and going.
26:19
SPEAKER_05: But being engaged.
26:21
SPEAKER_05: Um, and we do we I think we need to do more of that.
26:24
SPEAKER_05: Um, we're gonna start doing some more uh instead of just pictures, we're gonna start doing some videos and stuff, kind of just engaging with the community.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: That's a good idea.
26:33
SPEAKER_00: To let them see us in a different light.
26:34
SPEAKER_00: That's good.
26:35
SPEAKER_05: Um, because it worked very well for us in 19 and 2020.
26:39
SPEAKER_05: Right.
26:40
SPEAKER_05: And uh we just need to get back to, we did get very busy.
26:44
SPEAKER_05: All this stuff that's going on, um, where we were helping out our law enforcement partners.
26:49
SPEAKER_05: We're your sheriff's office was very, very deep into the city and the county boat.
26:53
SPEAKER_05: Right.
26:54
SPEAKER_05: Trying to help.
26:54
SPEAKER_05: We were all working together to make sure law enforcement could stay above board on what services we're supposed to be providing.
27:01
SPEAKER_01: And that's actually a great segue into my next question because, you know, every city, every county, big, small, all across the United States, we are dealing with homelessness.
27:11
SPEAKER_01: We are dealing with drugs, as you briefly mentioned, we are dealing with mental health crises.
27:16
SPEAKER_01: And kind of going back to what you said, there are few resources.
27:20
SPEAKER_01: We have some that are growing in the community.
27:22
SPEAKER_01: The River City CDC is working on opening a women and children's shelter.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, the Pasquatank outreach support team, which is through the EMS program or the EMS department.
27:32
SPEAKER_01: They are actively working with opioid settlement funds to start the recovery court and to provide outreach.
27:39
SPEAKER_01: But where does the Sheriff's Department fit into that from your perspective?
27:43
SPEAKER_01: What are you guys doing?
27:45
SPEAKER_01: Like you said, you guys are all working together, your interdepartmental support.
27:50
SPEAKER_01: But what does that look like?
27:53
SPEAKER_05: Well, I will say that we've been extremely busy just doing our regular jobs.
27:58
SPEAKER_05: Um but as far as, you know, the port program, the post-overdose response team, a lot of times we're the first ones there.
28:06
SPEAKER_02: Right.
28:07
SPEAKER_05: Um, so you know, it's uh information sharing is a huge thing.
28:12
SPEAKER_05: I would say that's number one thing to share information you may know about an individual that could help, but these are the resources that we do have.
28:19
SPEAKER_05: Recovery court, I think, is amazing.
28:22
SPEAKER_05: Um, always wanted recovery court.
28:24
SPEAKER_05: And along with recovery court, uh Irana's law, when they did that, now that gives us the ability to have somebody's record.
28:34
SPEAKER_05: And the record will, in fact, it it they always say it's taken into account, but it wasn't really.
28:39
SPEAKER_05: It was just kind of looked at now.
28:41
SPEAKER_05: There's different levels that can go with the record because when you have somebody who's a true recidivist, you know, and I always like to look, I'm a big second chance guy.
28:50
SPEAKER_05: I like to look and see how far back it's gone.
28:52
SPEAKER_05: Had they do they have any help?
28:54
SPEAKER_05: Have they been given any help?
28:55
SPEAKER_05: Well, let's try it one time.
28:57
SPEAKER_05: You know, and then go from there.
28:59
SPEAKER_05: But those things we've been crying for for a long time.
29:01
SPEAKER_05: The recovery court is I just had one, we we work together, we do a lot of the boots on the ground work.
29:09
SPEAKER_05: Like we had an individual that we carried to Greenville.
29:13
SPEAKER_05: Um, for like the recovery court, in essence, is the Rise program.
29:18
SPEAKER_05: And uh, so we kind of help with transportation.
29:22
SPEAKER_05: Um, we're gonna carry them to the facility they're going to, especially if it's a Pascal Tank residence, because we're legally obligated to do that.
29:28
SPEAKER_05: And we carry them to where they need to go.
29:30
SPEAKER_05: Sometimes family will go pick them up when they're done with whatever program they got to go to.
29:34
SPEAKER_05: So in that aspect, yeah, we've been working together.
29:37
SPEAKER_05: Um, just like the mental health world, sheriff's office does all the the transportations for that to get somebody and uh have the legal ability to say, okay, this person's a danger to himself or others.
29:49
SPEAKER_05: Right.
29:49
SPEAKER_05: So we work together just by default, I guess.
29:52
SPEAKER_05: You know, just one leads to this one, leads to that one.
29:55
SPEAKER_05: Most of it starts on boots on the ground, then makes it to court, then hits the programs and the resources that we don't have much of, but you know, getting people where they need to go.
30:06
SPEAKER_01: So I have three more questions for you, and David may have a few as well.
30:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm ready.
30:11
SPEAKER_01: Um two of them are gonna be more hot topic, but I but it's just about the policy.
30:19
SPEAKER_01: Um ice has been a really hot topic across the country.
30:23
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
30:24
SPEAKER_01: They've been popping up more and more in northeastern North Carolina, and especially people of color, but people in all aspects of our community have a lot of fear surrounding ice coming to our community.
30:37
SPEAKER_01: What policies does the Sheriff's Department have?
30:39
SPEAKER_01: And what can you say to maybe put people's minds at ease?
30:42
SPEAKER_05: Well, one, it's if if they're gonna come here, um, I'm not gonna say that the the Fed's gonna give you an astronomical heads up, um, but they would 100% call me.
30:52
SPEAKER_05: I would know.
30:53
SPEAKER_05: Um, we've been to a big help for me with that was the is the Sheriff's Association, North Carolina.
30:58
SPEAKER_05: And we don't have any ICE, you know, coming to this area right now.
31:04
SPEAKER_05: Um, you know, I don't have an eight ball.
31:06
SPEAKER_05: I couldn't tell you if they are or not.
31:07
SPEAKER_05: Right.
31:08
SPEAKER_05: Um, because I do know of some areas that are questionable, but we don't that I would know.
31:14
SPEAKER_05: I would know if they're gonna come here.
31:16
SPEAKER_05: And our policy at the sheriff's office is is as it relates to ice, I'm looking at it from a law enforcement perspective, completely non-political.
31:26
SPEAKER_05: And my job at that point, let's let's just say hypothetically, right?
31:32
SPEAKER_05: Hypothetically, if ICE was to come and they were coming to a certain area and they're arresting people, I would look at it as my job is to keep the citizens safe and the agents safe.
31:41
SPEAKER_05: So we would be that barrier in the middle, you know, not to not gonna stop them from doing their job.
31:47
SPEAKER_02: Right.
31:47
SPEAKER_05: If they if something's going on and say, hey, we need some help, I'm gonna help them and then keep the citizens safe as well.
31:54
SPEAKER_05: That means I don't feel like I'm gonna be a sheriff that's gonna stand there and just let it let it keep where people get upset and are screaming, yelling.
32:01
SPEAKER_05: We need to, you know, have a little soft cushion, you know, just stand on the sidewalk and say what you want to, it's you know, it's free country, so to speak.
32:08
SPEAKER_05: And and but but keep that separation.
32:11
SPEAKER_05: So I've always told everybody I feel like that's what my job would be.
32:15
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
32:16
SPEAKER_01: I think that's a great answer.
32:17
SPEAKER_01: Um, the other one is flock cameras.
32:20
SPEAKER_01: And someone in the community asked me to ask this question because they found out we were doing this podcast with you and they have been popping up in Elizabeth City.
32:29
SPEAKER_01: Um, there's a few over near like Lowe's and Me Cancun, over in that area.
32:35
SPEAKER_01: And there's a really mixed bag of views on flock cameras all over the place, social media, on the streets, in the news.
32:44
SPEAKER_01: Do you guys plan to utilize the flock cameras?
32:48
SPEAKER_05: Depending on the case, I can tell you now, the Pasquatine County Sheriff's Office, we have no cameras.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: We have I don't think flock cameras are, I think they're typically privatized and they are, from my understanding, yeah.
33:01
SPEAKER_05: If if it it would to me, it would be it would depend upon the crime.
33:06
SPEAKER_05: Because flock cameras can use correctly, like most of the thing in today's world, you know, a lot of things are not used correctly.
33:14
SPEAKER_05: Um used correctly, you can solve a lot of crimes with flock cameras.
33:21
SPEAKER_05: And I tell a lot of people, I know flock cameras are a hot topic.
33:25
SPEAKER_05: They're probably really hot for the ones breaking the laws.
33:29
SPEAKER_05: Now, I know, and this is typical, and people say this, well, if you're not breaking the law, you're fine.
33:34
SPEAKER_05: I get it.
33:34
SPEAKER_05: I get it.
33:35
SPEAKER_05: And some people they don't want to hear that, so I'm not gonna go out in the public and say that.
33:38
SPEAKER_05: Right.
33:39
SPEAKER_05: Um, that be my disclaimer on that.
33:41
SPEAKER_05: It I can understand people getting aggravated where they have my license plate.
33:45
SPEAKER_05: Well, I call it Dr.
33:47
SPEAKER_05: Google.
33:48
SPEAKER_05: So, Dr.
33:48
SPEAKER_05: Google, everybody already has your address, your name, your date of birth, and for the most part, and your license plate registration information, all that stuff is already out in the internet world.
33:59
SPEAKER_03: Right.
33:59
SPEAKER_05: So the flock camera to me could be very useful to identify patterns.
34:06
SPEAKER_05: You know, let's say, you know, if this crime is committed um stalking slash ended up in homicide, I would do my very best to use that flock camera to be able to establish pattern or, you know, um, because you a good defense attorney can rip that apart in court.
34:26
SPEAKER_05: So if you but if you can establish that pattern, because we already have cameras that have license plates and all that.
34:31
SPEAKER_05: So the license plate and getting people's information, that's and North Carolina is very peculiar about having laws in place that protect people.
34:40
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
34:41
SPEAKER_05: Man-made law, people break the law all the time.
34:43
SPEAKER_05: Um, because I know the other side of that is you've act had actual officers using the flock camera to identify same patterns from loved ones, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever the case may be.
34:55
SPEAKER_05: Um, you know, those people would never would not work for me anymore.
34:59
SPEAKER_05: Um but if I had to guess, let's just say there's a million flock cameras around and they've probably had 10 incidents that was used incorrectly.
35:07
SPEAKER_05: So I think the percentage is very low, but the chance is still there.
35:11
SPEAKER_05: And that one little chance will cause the hot topic to and I don't blame people for getting upset if somebody's been done wrong, especially by law enforcement.
35:20
SPEAKER_05: Right.
35:20
SPEAKER_05: That makes me very upset because it looks bad on the whole profession.
35:24
SPEAKER_01: Do you guys have a policy that would relate to something like that?
35:27
SPEAKER_01: Like obviously, like you said, from your personal standpoint as sheriff, someone who's doing something like that is not going to be working for you.
35:33
SPEAKER_01: But do you guys have a policy or are you working to put one in place?
35:38
SPEAKER_05: Um, we don't have a policy that's directly related to the flock camera.
35:42
SPEAKER_05: Um, I hate to say we're more well, we're much more proactive.
35:47
SPEAKER_05: Our policy went from 46 pages to 151 when I got in office.
35:51
SPEAKER_05: So we've been very proactive with policy, but the flock cameras are kind of new.
35:55
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
35:55
SPEAKER_05: So we don't have a policy directly, you know, saying flock camera, but we do have policies that dictate, because we put them in there because LexiPole is our policy, and it's a company that puts together state and federal laws as it would apply to what your policies should be.
36:14
SPEAKER_05: So when I first got in office, it took us about three months.
36:18
SPEAKER_05: We found out that this program had been bought and never used, and LexiPole let us go ahead and put it into place without charging us, which was great.
36:26
SPEAKER_03: Right.
36:26
SPEAKER_05: So it took about three months to get the state and federal laws and then sheriff directives that I can, because we can add to or take out.
36:33
SPEAKER_05: And um, it automatically updates with case law and new laws that come out.
36:38
SPEAKER_05: So it's great.
36:38
SPEAKER_05: So when it comes out, the deputies get acknowledgements, new law acknowledged.
36:43
SPEAKER_05: They got to go through and read it and then acknowledge it.
36:45
SPEAKER_02: Right.
36:46
SPEAKER_05: Um, but we don't, you know, we have um deputy or any employee doing anything that would be, you know, actions on becoming of a uh a deputy or use of anything that we have inappropriately.
37:03
SPEAKER_05: We have poly many policies for that because they go along with state law.
37:07
SPEAKER_05: And what I was getting at is div DCI, division of criminal information.
37:11
SPEAKER_05: It's what we use to run plates and stuff like that.
37:14
SPEAKER_05: And none of it is public knowledge.
37:16
SPEAKER_05: Um I may be able to tell you, but when I got that piece of paper, that that that's a crime.
37:22
SPEAKER_05: You can't just give that to somebody.
37:24
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
37:24
SPEAKER_05: You can talk about it, can't give it to them.
37:27
SPEAKER_05: So um DCI, people have to be trained and they have to pass the test every two years to in order to keep that ability to be able to log into DCI and run plates and run driver's license.
37:38
SPEAKER_05: If used inappropriately, you're probably gonna get fired and then you're probably gonna get charged.
37:45
SPEAKER_05: So it's uh some stuff has been in place, you know, for for things like this, but not directly related to the flock camera.
37:53
SPEAKER_05: But other policies we have, general policies that would stop that.
37:58
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
37:58
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
37:59
SPEAKER_01: And then I have one last question, but it's my closing question.
38:02
SPEAKER_00: So, David, I'm gonna close over to you.
38:05
SPEAKER_00: I have a uh a couple of questions.
38:07
SPEAKER_00: Um one focuses on recruitment.
38:12
SPEAKER_00: Um how is recruitment today?
38:16
SPEAKER_00: Are you fully staffed?
38:17
SPEAKER_00: I maybe that's a loaded question, but are are you do you are you comfortable with your staffing levels?
38:22
SPEAKER_00: And if in fact you are recruiting, where do you find great candidates?
38:27
SPEAKER_00: What do you look for?
38:28
SPEAKER_00: Uh, what do you see changing in that respect as the as we progress in the years?
38:33
SPEAKER_00: Social media.
38:35
SPEAKER_05: That's almost where you got to find all your people.
38:38
SPEAKER_05: Um I hate to say it, but I feel like the day of having recruitment uh events and stuff is everybody does it with Boo Nation or this this company or that company.
38:52
SPEAKER_05: Uh what's the one company you can put your application in?
38:55
SPEAKER_01: Oh, um In Indeed.
38:57
SPEAKER_05: Indeed's one, and there's there's another, there's so many.
38:59
SPEAKER_05: So it's all I'm not saying I'm a fan because I like doing this, you know.
39:04
SPEAKER_05: But um as far as that goes, recruitment's definitely changed, um, which is why we do a lot of social media posts.
39:11
SPEAKER_05: When we have openings, we'll put it out to the office by email, then we'll put it out Facebook social media about having we just we just shared one again.
39:21
SPEAKER_05: So I don't know how they did it.
39:23
SPEAKER_05: I don't take all the credit for as far as retention goes, um that we've been full.
39:29
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, we've been fully staffed.
39:32
SPEAKER_05: 98% of the time I've been a sheriff.
39:35
SPEAKER_05: I knock on wood.
39:36
SPEAKER_05: I hope it stays that way.
39:37
SPEAKER_05: We have two openings today.
39:39
SPEAKER_05: Um, we have one deputy that moved back home to Cabaras County.
39:43
SPEAKER_05: Um, and we have one position that's open now, but I'm holding that because I'm not sure if I'm gonna leave it that position in that division, because I feel like I see a greater need in this division over here.
39:54
SPEAKER_05: So I may take that position and reclassify it.
39:57
SPEAKER_05: So I'm just holding on to that one right now.
39:59
SPEAKER_05: So we have two positions open right now, but the your sheriff's office has been truly blessed to be full.
40:04
SPEAKER_05: I mean, I know for the last six years we've been full, no openings.
40:08
SPEAKER_05: Um, but with that being said, there's always a caveat to that, and that is I need 10 more people yesterday.
40:14
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, right.
40:14
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and I've told the commissioners, and they know um, I mean, we still have the same amount of people per shift now than we did over 20 years ago.
40:24
SPEAKER_02: Oh, wow.
40:25
SPEAKER_05: And we're making it happen.
40:26
SPEAKER_05: And the way we're making it happen, and I don't like doing this because people want to get paid.
40:30
SPEAKER_05: The same number.
40:31
SPEAKER_05: The same number per shift working that we did 20 years ago.
40:35
SPEAKER_05: Okay.
40:35
SPEAKER_01: Um with so much growth.
40:38
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
40:39
SPEAKER_05: They're and they're just working more.
40:40
SPEAKER_05: I mean, uh, and I put it in perspective a little bit.
40:44
SPEAKER_05: When I first got on night shift patrol, you could go two 12-hour shifts and not even get one call.
40:52
SPEAKER_05: You're riding around checking, but just riding.
40:54
SPEAKER_05: You know, stop, take a break, get a drink, go back to riding again, patrolling.
40:58
SPEAKER_05: Not now.
40:59
SPEAKER_05: Now we're about an average of 75 calls for service in a 24-hour period.
41:04
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
41:05
SPEAKER_05: So, and that seems like a lot, but a lot of them, it could be a simple phone call.
41:08
SPEAKER_05: It could be yeah, that's just all of it combined.
41:12
SPEAKER_05: Um, I just gave some numbers to the county commissioners uh a few weeks ago.
41:17
SPEAKER_05: In the last two years, a little over two years, we've responded to over 80,000 calls.
41:22
SPEAKER_05: And um, so definitely need more people.
41:27
SPEAKER_05: We're surviving by pulling from other divisions to fill gaps.
41:31
SPEAKER_05: And so far, people are okay with that because it breaks up the monotony a little bit and then go do this and have fun, and they can go back over here.
41:39
SPEAKER_05: Um, the reality of it is that I have somebody here that's supposed to be a civil deputy and serve civil papers.
41:48
SPEAKER_05: And now they're doing civil papers and you know, sex offenders and stuff, and now they're having to backup patrol.
41:54
SPEAKER_05: And now they're in charge of making sure child support gets done.
41:57
SPEAKER_05: Now they're so I'm I'm double and triple um rolling everybody or giving them double, triple the duties they should have from what their job description is.
42:05
SPEAKER_05: And um I I feel like unless we get more people, that's gonna be quadruple.
42:11
SPEAKER_05: And then people are gonna, you know, I'm not getting paid for all this that I'm doing.
42:14
SPEAKER_05: Well, and they're right.
42:15
SPEAKER_05: I can't argue with them.
42:17
SPEAKER_05: So, but so far, people are happy.
42:19
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
42:20
SPEAKER_05: Um, morale's never perfect.
42:23
SPEAKER_05: And if any agency tells you that, they're telling you a lie.
42:26
SPEAKER_05: Morale's never perfect, but morale's is is about the best that I've seen it since 2018.
42:31
SPEAKER_05: It's really good right now for us.
42:33
SPEAKER_00: Can I ask you how you coordinate initiatives and effort and resources with, let's say, city police departments and the state law enforcement.
42:43
SPEAKER_00: Uh, how does that work?
42:44
SPEAKER_05: So um, I do the city first.
42:46
SPEAKER_05: So the city, um, anytime we have something going on, uh, such as we just did an operation with the city, um, serving, you know, some warrants and uh help and probation.
42:56
SPEAKER_05: So there's three entities, we had both your law enforcement agency and probation to do checks and try to find absconders.
43:04
SPEAKER_05: So anytime we have something going on, it's just a simple email over.
43:07
SPEAKER_05: And we have we had nine people that were interested in going over on their day off and help, and they did.
43:13
SPEAKER_05: And they made a lot of arrests and you know, said communication is key just to get people together for a certain operation that we need to do if we need to catch up on something, or um, for lack of a better way of putting it, not really catching up on something, but just trying to, we got people that are missing.
43:29
SPEAKER_05: So what was the other part of your question?
43:31
SPEAKER_00: Well, how do you coordinate the efforts and resources between all these the state and the and the local city departments?
43:37
SPEAKER_05: So that's how we do it with the city, and mainly mainly is we work well together.
43:41
SPEAKER_05: Right.
43:41
SPEAKER_05: We all have our problems.
43:43
SPEAKER_05: Um, but I think me and the chief can both agree wholeheartedly the citizens come first.
43:49
SPEAKER_05: Our problems come later on down the line.
43:51
SPEAKER_05: Right.
43:51
SPEAKER_05: And uh we work those out behind closed doors because the citizens don't deserve to have to hear about it.
43:56
SPEAKER_05: That's that's not what we are you all pay us for.
43:59
SPEAKER_05: So we don't do That so coordinated effort by telephone email.
44:03
SPEAKER_05: And anything we got going on, we'll have briefings and meetings and things like that.
44:07
SPEAKER_05: As far as the other resources, I have uh, you know, we're able to swear in your federal and state partners.
44:13
SPEAKER_05: So we have I have somebody sworn in as a task force officer with the FBI.
44:18
SPEAKER_05: I got a task force officer with the ATF.
44:21
SPEAKER_05: And we had two, we're working on getting one back with HS Homeland Security, HSI.
44:28
SPEAKER_05: So having those resources, I can call on um my lieutenant right now, one of them who's sworn in with the FBI.
44:38
SPEAKER_05: And if we have a case, let's say that we need a coordinated effort because there's this human trafficking deal going on, which happens by the way, it don't get talked about enough.
44:48
SPEAKER_05: So, and we need to run it up to the FBI, but it's our case.
44:54
SPEAKER_05: I call him, he calls the people.
44:55
SPEAKER_05: They helped us with one uh a couple years ago, and we were able to do it together just like that.
45:00
SPEAKER_05: So having task force officers with other entities is a big way we do that.
45:04
SPEAKER_00: Right.
45:04
SPEAKER_00: I remember this is we're coming up to the 25th anniversary of 9-11, and I I distinctly remember, you know, I'm old enough to remember I was there.
45:11
SPEAKER_00: I'm not there, but I I was alive saw this stuff.
45:14
SPEAKER_00: One of the things that came out of that is a lot of people didn't know is that that uh we're not the FBI, we're not the CIA, I get that.
45:22
SPEAKER_00: But they didn't talk to each other.
45:23
SPEAKER_00: That's right.
45:24
SPEAKER_00: They just weren't communicating.
45:25
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't sound maybe that was the case back then with you.
45:28
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
45:28
SPEAKER_00: But it doesn't sound like that's even an issue.
45:31
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you're free flow of communication as needed.
45:34
SPEAKER_05: Always have a little bit of communication problems.
45:36
SPEAKER_05: We try to solve them quickly, but when the federal government decided to have task force officers, that's what they call them, where they can go to your local agency, severe background checks.
45:46
SPEAKER_05: Good gracious.
45:46
SPEAKER_05: I thought I went through a background check.
45:48
SPEAKER_05: They go through a lot.
45:49
SPEAKER_05: I mean, they're talking to your neighbors.
45:52
SPEAKER_05: Seriously, yeah.
45:53
SPEAKER_05: So having the those task force officers that bridges that gap because now you have somebody local that's in the middle of the local person in the federal agency.
46:05
SPEAKER_05: And with the state, you know, I've always opened up um office space to SBI and ALE.
46:12
SPEAKER_05: So they have office space with us as well.
46:14
SPEAKER_05: So they're right there with us.
46:16
SPEAKER_05: So any communication needs to be had is just a simple, hey man, what do you think about this?
46:20
SPEAKER_05: Or, you know, something like that.
46:22
SPEAKER_05: So bridge the gap, definitely.
46:25
SPEAKER_05: And I think at today's society, it's just generally speaking, my thought on it is that not everybody we have figured it out a little bit.
46:32
SPEAKER_05: Not everybody has to have the most power.
46:35
SPEAKER_02: Right.
46:35
SPEAKER_05: You know, my agency don't have to be the best, yours don't have to be the best.
46:38
SPEAKER_05: We just need to work together for the best thing we can do for you all.
46:42
SPEAKER_05: Right.
46:43
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
46:43
SPEAKER_05: Because at the end of the day, that's the goal.
46:45
SPEAKER_05: The goal is not I'm better than you, you're better than me.
46:49
SPEAKER_05: The goal is, you know, you're protecting people's constitutional rights.
46:54
SPEAKER_01: So you actually answered my my closing question a few minutes ago.
46:59
SPEAKER_01: My closing question was gonna be about um, you know, staffing and specifically about the arrest statistics that you gave to the county commissioners.
47:09
SPEAKER_01: Um 80,000.
47:11
SPEAKER_01: Uh you said 80,000 in the last uh a little over two years.
47:15
SPEAKER_01: Last two years.
47:16
SPEAKER_05: Yes, hours for service.
47:18
SPEAKER_01: And you know that's pretty much the best answer you could give me.
47:22
SPEAKER_01: So let me pivot and and ask a more philosophical question, I suppose.
47:28
SPEAKER_01: There is kind of a stigma around law enforcement in today's age.
47:32
SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
47:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, we've talked a lot about all aspects of what the sheriff's does department does in this community.
47:40
SPEAKER_01: What at its core makes your department one that our community can trust?
47:46
SPEAKER_05: I think one, the sheriff's office, whoever the sheriff is, uh not to get political, that's law enforcement that's chosen by the people.
47:57
SPEAKER_05: Um so having that elected official means that I have almost 43,000 bosses.
48:04
SPEAKER_01: Right.
48:04
SPEAKER_05: And I think by having just that, I don't want to lose my job.
48:08
SPEAKER_05: You know, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna just jump off my foundation and and and start cherry-picking, we call it, and going and flip-flop back and forth.
48:16
SPEAKER_05: Right.
48:16
SPEAKER_05: But I'm gonna do, I'm gonna always do what I feel like is the right thing for everybody.
48:21
SPEAKER_05: And I think when you because your sheriff's office is a sheriff, the sheriff is the office office is a sheriff.
48:29
SPEAKER_05: Everybody's a representation of the sheriff.
48:31
SPEAKER_05: You uh I I swear them all in.
48:34
SPEAKER_05: And I think that's a huge part of it.
48:38
SPEAKER_05: Um body cameras.
48:43
SPEAKER_05: Senate Bill 300, you know, where there are things that have been put in place to where the public, if the public was severely educated on what that actually means, you know, I think that a lot more people that are maybe a little hesitant on law enforcement would probably go, hmm, you know, that's if they have to do all that, then hey, I mean, they're they're being held accountable for 100%.
49:07
SPEAKER_05: Because we have a lot of laws.
49:08
SPEAKER_05: I almost say sometimes too many, that uh because it just makes it convoluted to to have to follow before we do our job, which you can always attribute it to somebody did it now.
49:20
SPEAKER_05: We have to pay the price for it.
49:22
SPEAKER_05: You know what I mean?
49:22
SPEAKER_05: Like there's another rule that we have to follow.
49:25
SPEAKER_05: But I think being just being an elected law enforcement, you know, not by itself, but uh to me that would be one of the biggest things.
49:33
SPEAKER_05: And the sheriff's office is responsible for so much stuff in the county.
49:39
SPEAKER_05: The courts, the jail, the prison, the IBCs, now the hospital, schools, uh, court ordered paperwork.
49:48
SPEAKER_05: Like there's so much that we got our hands on at the sheriff's office that there's not really a way you're not gonna be corrupt.
49:55
SPEAKER_05: You know, hypothetically, you shouldn't be corrupt.
49:58
SPEAKER_05: I'm sure there's people have figured it out.
50:00
SPEAKER_05: But you got your hands in so many jars at the same time that just that would the sheriff's office having the authority in so many different areas and divisions, you know, you have to make sure that your T's cross and your I's are dotted.
50:13
SPEAKER_05: You know, because you're not just doing this one thing, we're doing 15 different things.
50:17
SPEAKER_05: And so just being more in the public eye, doing different things, um, I would hope would build that trust.
50:25
SPEAKER_05: And being engaged in the community, I would hope that we do that, it's never enough.
50:33
SPEAKER_05: It's never enough.
50:34
SPEAKER_05: I mean, we stay busy doing what we're supposed to do, so we don't need to get out a lot.
50:37
SPEAKER_05: But I think having that community engagement, having the um that citizen advisory council that I've had for a while, you know, they hear complaints or they it's not always complaints, it's good things and it's just discussion pieces, you know, like we're doing now.
50:52
SPEAKER_05: They want to know, hey, why did this happen or what's your protocol for this?
50:55
SPEAKER_05: And we have discussions about that.
50:57
SPEAKER_05: The CAC, which is people that pick from all walks of life, from the south end of the county to the north, and they're able to go back out and communicate that as stakeholders to their their neighborhoods and communities.
51:09
SPEAKER_05: So I think having that is a is a big deal because anybody can be invited to that to speak their mind or whatever they want to.
51:16
SPEAKER_05: And just by me publicly saying to everybody, I work for you.
51:20
SPEAKER_05: So if you have an issue, let me know because that's my job.
51:24
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a great answer.
51:26
SPEAKER_01: And I think that is a great end to our episode.
51:29
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for joining us.
51:31
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
51:31
SPEAKER_05: I enjoyed it.
51:32
SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad.
51:33
SPEAKER_01: We are really, really grateful for you coming on and speaking to us and the people.
51:38
SPEAKER_01: Um, and thank you so much to all of our listeners.
51:41
SPEAKER_01: We really appreciate you all as well.
51:43
SPEAKER_01: Please make sure you stay tuned for another episode and check out all of the great episodes you might have missed before this year.
51:49
SPEAKER_00: Yes, this will be in print.com.
51:52
SPEAKER_01: Yes, and on dailyadvance.com.