Your Sheriff Since 2018

 

"Serving as Durham County’s first African American Sheriff for two terms has been the most incredible honor of my career. Since first being elected in 2018, I have worked to transform the Sheriff’s Office into one built on transparency, accountability, and trust.  

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I bring more than forty years of law enforcement experience to the Office of the Sheriff.  With more than half of my public service in Durham.

 

A native of Asheboro, North Carolina, I began my career serving the residents of Randolph County (NC) as a deputy sheriff.  In 1988, I relocated to Durham where I joined the Duke University Public Safety Department as a police officer.   While at Duke, I earned my BS in Criminal Justice from Shaw University (1995) and a Master's Degree in Organizational Management from Pfeiffer University (2001).

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After rising through the ranks -- starting as a patrol officer to detective sergeant to watch commander and later assistant chief of operations -- I was appointed Chief of Police leading the Duke University Public Safety Department in 1988.  For the next seven year, I led a department of 140 employees.    

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After seventeen years of service at Duke, I served as Chief of Police in Hillsborough, North Carolina in neighboring Orange County from 2005 to 2010.  I also worked as a safety and security consultant at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina.  I was later appointed as Associate Vice President of Safety and Security at Queens University.

    

For me, public safety has never been just about enforcement—it is about fairness, compassion, and listening to the people we serve. Durham has proven that progressive values and community trust are the strongest foundations for lasting safety and justice.”

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