Sheriff plans to ask for more deputies

By Catharin Shepard

Staff writer

Faced with more subdivisions to patrol and deputies already clocking heavy overtime, Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said he plans to ask the county for funding to hire about 10 new deputies this year.
“We need to increase the manpower for patrol so we’ll be able to keep up with the calls for service we’re getting,” the sheriff said.
The growth in the county is hitting home with the office. The Sheriff’s Office responds to more than 50,000 calls a year, officials reported. According to tracking software, most of those calls come from the eastern part of the county, Peterkin said.
“Regardless of what our challenges are with our staffing issues, we just want the public to know that we’re going to do absolutely every single thing we can to make sure they’re safe and we protect their property, but it is a concern of mine,” he said.
Currently Hoke County has about one deputy per 1,000 people, Peterkin said. The national average for counties is about 2.7 full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 people, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the county should triple its number of deputies. The national average includes large counties that heavily staff law enforcement agencies. The figure is meant only as a guide, and “staffing levels can be determined only after careful study of the conditions that affect the service requirements in a particular jurisdiction,” FBI officials noted.

If the request is approved, most of the new deputies will be patrol officers working in the community. Others will work in the civil and investigation divisions, the sheriff said.
When the county approved the new detention center in Raeford, money for more officers was also part of the deal. But those officers were needed to run the larger detention center.
“Had we not had the jail situation, I could see the patrol would probably be twice the size it is, but right now we’re in a position where we’ve really got to pay a lot of attention to our patrol,” Peterkin said.
Hoke County commissioners and the county manager will hear department heads’ preliminary budget requests this month during a budget retreat planned for Feb. 28-29.

Burglaries increased

Burglaries in Hoke County went up from 2008-2010 while other types of crime stayed level or decreased, figures from the Sheriff’s Office showed. Residents reported more than 580 burglaries in 2008, 786 in 2009 and 833 in 2010. It’s a common issue many areas are dealing with, the sheriff said.
“Every county has that problem. Every city has that problem. That’s one of their number one issues, break-ins and drugs,” he said.
Officers solve many of the break-ins but part of the challenge is getting recovered property back to the owners. Most of the time people don’t record serial numbers of electronics or other goods, so even when they’re recovered, the victims can’t claim the items because they can’t prove ownership.
“It sits in our evidence room and a lot of times we have to auction it off,” Peterkin said.
One woman who spoke with The News-Journal about a recent breaking and entering said burglars broke into her family’s home and took several items, including heirloom jewelry. After filing a report, she called pawn and jewelry shops and eventually located the jewelry in Fayetteville.
Three weeks later, she said, she got a call from the store asking where to send evidence showing the identity of the subjects who sold the stolen jewelry. The store had proof of the burglars’ identity but apparently hadn’t been contacted by authorities yet, the woman said.
Other times, officers are able to get to the scene fast enough to stop the breaking and entering while it’s going on. Last week a neighbor’s phone call about suspicious activity helped deputies interrupt a burglary in progress, leading to arrests.
“I commend the officers who are patrolling because they’re actually catching people, they’re getting on the scenes when break-ins are occurring and apprehending these folks,” Peterkin said.
Sometimes the burglars are from other counties but often it’s people stealing from their own communities. Many of the break-ins are committed by people looking for something to sell so they can buy drugs, officials said.

Safety tips

Get to know your neighbors and ask them to keep an eye on your house if you have to be away from home and offer to do the same in exchange, the Sheriff’s Office suggests as one way to cut down on the risk of being burglarized. Burglars often watch homes for days before attempting to break in, so try to change your daily routine if possible to make it hard for them to know if you’re home. Don’t let newspapers or mail pile up on vacation, and if using an alarm system, get one that’s monitored for the best effect.
Exterior lighting can help discourage potential burglars, and keeping bushes trimmed back for easy visibility can also help prevent breaking and entering. The Sheriff’s Office also recommends recording serial numbers and documenting belongings so in the event they are stolen, owners will be able to identify and recover their property.