Sheriff’s Report

Harnett County Sheriff's Official Site

The following pages describe some of what we have been doing the past three years. I ask you the voter to assess what we have done and I commit the continuing forward progress of the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. I am committed to the professionalism of all staff and keeping Harnett County a safe community for us to work, live and raise our families.

• Uniformed Patrol Operations: The Uniformed Deputies have done an outstanding job implementing the changes I requested of them and the reduced crime rate is evidence of all of our staff’s hard work. The county is divided into six zones, based upon geographic location and the number of calls for service. The respective zones have papers to be served available in the field, which is passed on at shift change. The zone system and fleet fuel cards keep officers in the field and help us to reduce response time of calls for service. I expanded the Civil/Warrant Squad and their primary duty is to serve Civil and Criminal papers. Secondary is to respond to calls when regular patrol units are not available or need back-up. The goal is to have higher visibility of the uniform patrol by giving them more time to patrol our communities to deter crime.
• Domestic Violence is one area which we placed emphasis. The Uniformed Patrol has made significant positive impact to domestic violence by taking a proactive approach to the problem. We now see less incidents occurring.
• I have increased our K-9 handlers from one to four. We have three which are cross trained for narcotics, tracking and attack. One dog we acquired by grant is explosives detection, tracking and attack. The K-9 program is one which takes time to train and get the acquired experience but I have been very pleased to this point. We now have the capability to have a dog on the scene of a crime when the suspect has fled on foot each shift. We also utilize the dogs on a regular basis in our schools for drug detection. The senior handler is a certified instructor and we are able to keep our training up to date in house.
• The use of computers for law enforcement is a tremendous technological tool. I have aggressively competed for grants to acquire the Mobile DataTerminals. Patrol Deputies are now able to utilize the computer to check driver license records, license tags, wanted persons, stolen property and complete reports in the field.
• School Resource Officers: The middle and high schools are all staffed with a deputy to work closely with the school staff to insure a safe environment for our students and staff. The deputies have a tremendous responsibility and often difficult task. I am very pleased with their performance and dedication.

I continue to support the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in our elementary schools and will commit to continue this valued training to the students.

I am implementing a new program beginning school year 2007. The G.R.E.A.T program (Gang Resistance Education and Training) will be administered by our School Resource Officers in the elementary and middle schools. I believe it will be a reinforcement of D.A.R.E and is needed to help students to deal with the growing Gang issues we are facing.

            5.  Courtroom Staff: The courts are staffed with two full-time deputies who co-ordinate the bailiffs(part-time positions) and security needs for courtrooms. The County Commissioners have now appropriated funding to implement security measures for the entire Courthouse. I am developing a security plan of operations with the assistance of Judges, Clerk of Court  and the District Attorney. I am now screening applicants for the new positions needed to perform this new task for the Sheriff’s Office. I expect to begin operations in the next 60 to 90 days.

• Criminal Investigations: The detective division has also performed exceptionally well in their area of responsibility. I placed great emphasis on detectives following up with victims of crime. I know the system in place is working because I receive very few concerns or complaints from victims. We have stressed team building among all divisions to enhance and insure communications between divisions. The Criminal detectives and Narcotics agents work as a team to share information and assist each other on investigations. We know many crimes are related in some way to illegal drugs, therefore it is crucial for these two divisions to work closely.                                                                                

 The criminal detectives now have a Response Plan for Major Crimes. I render full support to pull in all resources for major crimes rather than one or two detectives handling such cases.                                                                            

The criminal detectives are tasked with an increasing demand of investigations which require special training (Internet Fraud, Sexually Based Crimes, Financial Crimes, Juveniles and the increase of Gangs). I have placed great emphasis on providing the training throughout the Sheriff’s Office to enable all personnel to perform their duties professionally.

1. Crime Scene Investigators:  CSI is comprised of four technicians. The field these deputies work in is highly technical and advanced. The task of staying current and continuing to advance is tremendous, as is the financial cost. I have placed emphasis on getting the advanced training and equipment needed to professionally perform their duties.

• Latent Print Examiner:  I have just recently created this position. The processing of latent prints in the past has been the main hindrance to investigations because it took months to have such evidence processed. We now have our own examiner to quickly process a case in which we have a suspect and the equipment to compare prints in existing data bases of fingerprints. I have been able to acquire most of the equipment needed from drug seizure assets.                                                                     

We have had early success in identifying suspects in a homicide investigation, five breaking and entering cases, receiving stolen property and identifying two suspects who gave fictitious names.

The examiner has completed advanced training and certifications to testify in court as an expert.

I consider this to be one of the most forward accomplishments we have implemented.   Creating this position was difficult because of the personnel constraints. I praise the staff which took on added duties to implement this resource to our operations; these individuals are a prime example of true team players.

• Narcotics Division:  Narcotics is comprised of six members which includes supervisory positions. The task for this section is quite frankly overwhelming. We all know the menace and destruction which has impacted our society for many years due to drug use in our communities.

The deputies assigned to these duties perform exemplary in the face of such a daunting task.

Development of the Harnett County Drug Task Force has complimented how we fight the drug war on a county level. The Task Force helps all agencies to keep communication and co-ordinate drug investigations. The Task Force obviously makes available added manpower when needed and shares with seized assets. The Uniform Patrol also contributes in arrest and their visibility in known drug areas. The arrest and seizures have increased yearly.

• Crime Prevention: I created a full time crime prevention specialist position approximately six months ago.  Developing this position was also difficult because of personnel restraints. I decided it would be an effective way to enhance our crime prevention efforts. The goal of the program is to partner citizens to be watchful in their communities for criminal or suspicious activity and report same to the Sheriff’s Office.I encourage you to contact us and start a Community/Neighborhood Watch Program in your area.

1.Gang Issues: Harnett County has been experiencing an increase of gang activity for several years. I have to this point assigned two investigators with the additional duties to build intelligence on present gang activity. I have provided gang awareness training to School Resource Officers and Patrol Deputies; have established liaison with school authorities and   the assistance of other agencies which have had gang problems for quite some time in other jurisdictions. I have also begun gang identification measures utilizing all divisions of the Sheriff’s Office.

I will be developing a Gang Task Force that will bring together certain Agencies for a comprehensive and coordinated approach for Harnett County.

• Detention: The Harnett County Detention Staff is simply overloaded but are managing their responsibilities exceptionally well. The present jail has 84 beds and our daily average population is 140+. The highest peak we have had was 182. The new facility should be completed the fall of 2008. The Detention Center will open with 300 beds and core support for 100 additional added in the future. The challenge is to manage our growing population until 2008. I can only commend our staff on how well they deal with this daily; but we can now see some relief at the end.

The planning and design of the new facility has been ongoing for approximately one year. I and my staff have put in much time with development and design. I want to insure we have done our very best to have a new Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center that will last many years into the future. I instructed the architects on three priorities for the concepts of design “Operations, Security and Public Access”. The present facility is deficient in all three of these areas.

• Communications Center: The hub of all is here, with the staff and their responsibilities. I have nothing but praise for the job they do for Harnett County Citizens, Law Enforcement, Fire and Rescue. I assure you it takes a very special individual to set behind a console and deal coolly and politely with the calls they receive daily. The calls taken by the 911 Center are continually increasing and they have one of the most stressful jobs in our Office. I continually stay abreast of their needs for additional personnel and training.
• Special Response Team: The team is comprised of thirteen members. The members are deputies from different divisions and being a member is an additional duty to their respective positions. I have provided them with specialized training and some very specialized equipment. I and they are confident they can accomplish their mission when called upon. The team is utilized for high risk warrant service (arrest warrant or search warrant) and is proficient in Hostage Rescue. The team is one of the first Sheriff’s Teams in North Carolina obtaining certification to make entries to secure Methamphetamine Laboratories.
• Administrative Staff:  The Financial Officer, Records Supervisor, administrative assistants, secretaries, data entry personnel and evidence custodian are a part of the team whose role is not in the spotlight; but all operations would go lacking without the dedicated work of these individuals. I have changed the structure and initiated changes with the input of these individuals to enhance our services to the public.
• Grants: I have aggressively sought and competed for grants to enhance our equipment and operations. Budget years 2003-06 the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office was approved to receive approximately $2.9 million in grants. Of this total only $152,086.50 were local matching funds.

1998 through year 2002 the Sheriff’s Office received $339,165.00.

The grants have funded Mobile Data Computers, new portable and mobile radios for deputies, salary for a Specialized Sexual Assault Investigator, Pre-Trial Release/Sentenced Offenders Program, Child Support Enforcement Deputy and construction of radio communication towers.

• Employee Salaries: I have worked to have salaries reflect the duties and responsibilities entrusted to Employees. Starting salaries for Deputies were some of the lowest in our region. I sought funding to increase salaries each year for staff positions I identified as so needing. The Commissioners appropriated funds which allowed some salary adjusting in our first budget and we were funded in our second budget to do a number of re-classing positions. The Commissioners authorized a pay study for all county employees in 2004-05. The pay study verified the need for salary increases which I had requested in 2003-04. I thank the Commissioners for the appropriations given the Sheriff’s Office the past three years not only the salaries but personnel increases. The salaries are now competitive for our region and should assist with retention of staff.
• Promotional Procedures: I have developed a procedure for promotions based on experience, knowledge and training. Candidates for promotions to Corporals, Sergeants and Detectives are required to complete an assessment of their qualifications. I do this by written testing, oral board and practical testing. Candidates are required to meet minimum standards for each position. Vacancies are posted to allow any qualified candidate to apply for a given position. Newly created positions or others I may choose, i.e. Crime Prevention Specialist or Latent Print Examiner is by my discretion.

I conclude this overview which highlights a small portion of what we’re doing on your behalf. I am committed to the forward progress of the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office.

Sincerely,

Larry Rollins