Donnie Harrison
Sheriff of Wake County, North Carolina
The citizens of Wake County are not an interruption
of our work, but the purpose of it.
The citizens of Wake County are not an interruption
of our work, but the purpose of it.
When I took office in December 2002, I outlined five goals for my administration:
Reduced response time
I am pleased to announce that we have reduced response time by reallocating resources so we have more deputies on the road. We have changed the shifts that patrol deputies work to better cover the times when the most calls come in. This change has meant more efficient use of resources and better response time to citizens.
Improved jail operations
As promised, we have also improved jail operations by expediting the booking process. Police officers and deputies are back on the road protecting you rather than spending hours to book a prisoner.
Another concern was that the Hammond Road Annex regularly had 200 vacant beds while the main jail was overcrowded. With reorganization and the development of a classification system, the Hammond Road Annex no longer has vacant beds.
From serving our children with the Law Enforcement Adventure Camp to looking after some of our most fragile citizens with the award winning Citizens Well-check Program, these initiatives are based on Sheriff Harrison's philosophy — Wake County citizens are the purpose of our work at the Wake County Sheriff's Office, not an interruption of our day.
Intel Unit (Implemented in April 2003) — This unit specializes in white collar crime investigations and monitoring gang activity both in the community and in the jail. In addition to these responsibilities, the Intel Unit also coordinates with other agencies about homeland security issues.
Law Enforcement Adventure Camp (Implemented in July 2003) — Our one week camp where middle school students and their School Resource Officers work side by side as the students explore their interests in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. This camp is the only known law enforcement youth camp designed and managed by School Resource Officers.
Citizens Well-check Program (July 2003) — daily calls to check on the welfare of the elderly and shut-ins in Wake County. By identifying the most vulnerable in our community, Sheriff's deputies will know whom to check on first when disasters such as ice storms or hurricanes occur. In 2005, this program won one of 14 statewide awards given by the North Carolina County Commissioners Association.
Expansion of K-9 Team (Implemented in August 2003) — expanded K-9 unit to include four patrol dogs, four drugs dogs, and two bloodhounds. The drug dogs, in cooperation with the Wake County Schools, are available to search our schools for drugs as well as work with the Impact Team on Highway Drug Interdiction and High Drug/Crime areas. Our patrol dogs are trained for handler protection, article searches, and tracking and trailing. The bloodhounds look for lost children, lost people, and suspects. These dogs are an invaluable tool for the Wake County Sheriff's Office and the citizens of Wake County.
Special Response Team ( Implemented in August 2003) — has been deployed less than two years and has already won first place at the 2005 Special Response Team Conference.
Our Special Response Team is available on a moment's notice to respond to school emergencies and other critical incidents. Some of the critical incidents that the SR Team can respond to include:
Impact Team works Highway Drug Interdiction and High Drug/Crime areas. (Implemented in September 2003). The Impact Team's purpose is to stop the flow of illicit drugs into and through Wake County and to seize the proceeds from drug trafficking. The Impact Team works high drug/crime areas to eradicate the criminal element from these communities. They work license checks, DWI checkpoints, Click-IT or Ticket Checkpoints, Wolf-pack, and maintain a high visibility in these communities.
STOP Team or Sheriff's Traffic Observation Patrol (Deployed June 2005) -- Funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program, the STOP Team is proactive, highly visible, and actively enforces traffic laws. With their high visibility in problem areas, the STOP Team helps deter crime, increases DWI arrests, and reduces traffic safety problems, auto accidents, injuries, and fatalities.
Sheriff of Wake County.
Donnie Harrison
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