Name as it Appears on the Ballot: Buddy Parker
Legal name, if different: William Lane Parker
Party: Democrat
Date of Birth: May 1, 1972
Campaign Web Site: www.voteparker4sheriff.com
Occupation & Employer: Sergeant at Hillsborough Police Department
Home Phone: 919-886-3872
Years lived in Orange County: 42 years on May 1, 2014
Email: Parker4Sheriff@nc.rr.com
1. How do you rate the current functioning of the Sheriff’s Office under the longtime leadership of Lindy Pendergrass? Indentify three things that are good and three things that need improvement.
The Sheriff has increased the number of deputies and vehicles in the department, placed School Resource Officers (S.R.O.) in our schools and initiated several programs, such as Operation Lifesaver (which assists with locating citizens with Alzheimer’s as well as Autistic individuals that are identified as wanders), also a program that checks on the elderly in our communites as well as DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and GREAT (Gang Resistance Education And Training) in our schools.I believe in Operation Lifesaver, checking in on our elderly citizens, increasing our S.R.O. program and the two school programs, however we can do more with our S.R.O. program and increasing our school programs to more than just DARE and GREAT.
Implementation of a County-Wide Community Policing Initiative
Over the years due to increased call volumes and an effort to make sure calls are answered in a timely manner we have basically put a door between our citizens and law enforcement. It is time to open the doors and get back into our communities, to build trust and reassure everyone that we are all in this together. We live and work in these communities; we are vested in the decrease of crime rates and increasing the quality of life within our county. It’s time to get rid of whatever barriers separate our communities and bring everyone together.
Inter-Departmental Cooperation between County, Local Municipal, State and Federal Agencies
This should not be done only during harsh economic times, it should be done for the benefit of our citizens and taxpayers at all times; We will work with our sister agencies to maximize training budgets, equipment purchases and sharing of equipment; because it is redundant and a waste of our taxpayers money for each agency to purchase major pieces of equipment that are already owned by another. We will actively participate in law enforcement activities throughout the county, full cooperation and collaboration with the other agencies within our county, shared training opportunities, information sharing through fully electronic submission of reports and calls for service (the ability is there we just need to use it) and requests for assistance.
Career Progression and Retention
In order to save our taxpayers money there will be an implementation of a career progression ladder within the Sheriff’s Office, in order to help eliminate turnover. We should be exploring all options to retain and reward our hardworking and dedicated employees. We should increase morale by offering opportunities for expanding our deputies’ skill sets. This could be accomplished by assigning deputies to positions throughout the Sheriff’s Office as they become vacant for set time periods (Temporary Duty Assignments – TDA), thus eliminating the stalemate that is usually present in most sheriffs’ departments. We will improve and update enforcement techniques while training our deputies to operate within an ever changing population of diverse backgrounds. Promotional Assessments will be conducted in a fair and unbiased manner and should utilize officers from outside of the Sheriff’s Office as assessors. This in turn will provide our citizens with outstanding service from their already dedicated and willing deputies. It will also encourage our deputies to operate at peak potential always, especially when they know that they are truly appreciated by the citizens and the administrative staff of the Sheriff’s Department.
2. What in your record as a public official or other experience demonstrates your ability to be effective on the issues you’ve identified? Please be as specific as possible in relating past accomplishments to current goals.
During my tenure as a member of the Hillsborough Police Department I have served in the Patrol Division and Community Services Division, I have interacted with the public in multiple roles as an officer, specifically when I was supervisor of the Traffic Enforcement Unit and while coordinating Special Events within town. I have helped plan and organize multiple large scale events by coordinating with other emergency services departments and the individuals or groups that wanted to host those events. I have built upon those connections and help out when I can and point people in the right direction when I can not.
During my time on Patrol I strive to assist other agencies when requested and also encourage cooperation with outside agencies with my squad. If an agency requests assistance we will go and when we have needed assistance I do not hesitate to request other agencies to help out, whether it is to conduct a multi-agency DWI checkpoint or locating and arresting subjects this year in Hillsborugh that were wanted for a home invasion and shooting that occurred in Chapel Hill in Sept of 2013, I have assisted US Marshall’s with locating a subject wanted for questioning and apprehending a bank robber for the FBI that they requested help with locating. Since 2007 I have coordinated the purchase of vehicles, vehicle equipment, uniforms and equipment as well as coordinated our agencies Mobile Data Terminals and In-Car Video Systems since 2005 so technology is not foreign to me and I understand the technical aspect of each. I have always gotten the best price without sacrificing officer’s safety and will continue to do so.
I served as the Department’s Training Coordinator from 2007 until 2012 while working in Training and Logistics. I have ensured that each officer completed and met the requirements set forth by the NC Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards. I also coordinated additional training for each of the officers employed by the Hillsborough Police Department. I have completed over 2000 hours of additional training above and beyond the required amount set forth by the state and have been awarded my Intermediate and Advanced Law Enforcement Certificates. I have been a certified Law Enforcement Instructor since 2010 and am currently one of our agencies Specialized Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors. I understand the importance of training for our deputies and the benefit both they and our citizens will reap from it. I look forward to ensuring that our deputies continue to learn because our increasingly diverse communities demand it. We need to make sure we are retaining our personnel because it shows how much they are respected and appreciated and it costs our citizens each time we have to replace someone who leaves.
3. The INDY’s mission is to help build a just community in the triangle. Please point to a specific position in your platform that would, if achieved, help further that goal.
Implementation of county-wide community policing initiatives will help bridge the gap between the citizens in every community, municipal agencies and the Sheriff’s Department in Orange County. We have to get more involved in our communities and schools, improve our information sharing and build an everlasting rapport with all of our citizens. We are one county, not a southern Orange and Northern Orange, and we have to bring everyone to the table. While we may not all agree on everything there has got to be compromise and respect for the differing opinions and viewpoints in order to improve the quality of life for everyone living here. Your sheriff’s department should bring the community together, not divide it. I look forward to helping to bridge our communities.
4. What do you think about the Decriminalization of Marijuana?
For true medicinal purposes I have no issue. As far as decriminalizing for personal use I am not in favor of that at this time, however we will enforce the laws that are created or amended by our legislature as long as constitutional. So if our federal and state legislatures decide to decriminalize marijuana then my personal opinion will not play into the matter.
5. When you suspect a newly admitted inmate is an undocumented immigrant, do you feel the need to report it to the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
No, all inmates are processed the same. Photgraphs, detailed information gathered for booking and fingerprints taken electronically. The fingerprints for all inmates are submitted to AFIS electronically. If we recieve a response on anyone processed in then we will abide by the request of the responding agency.
6. Identify a principle stand you have taken or would be willing to take if elected, even if you suspect might cost you popularity with voters.
I believe in the Constitutions of the United States of America and State of North Carolina and I am a proponent of the 2nd Amendment.
7. Roadblocks and checkpoints can be used as a way to racially profile drivers and passengers. What policies should be in place in regards to roadblocks and checkpoints? Under what circumstances should they be used?
First off we will not tolerate racially profiling anyone, period. There is a set pattern to checking vehicles during a checkpoint, the checkpoint supervisor will decide, prior to initiating a checkpoint, the pattern for stopping vehicles; whether it is every vehicle stopped, every other, every third, etc. The pattern can only be changed when it is determined necessary for public/officer safety and/or the undue burden on the motoring public. Checkpoints should be used to check compliance with motor vehicle laws.
8. Identify some areas in the Sheriff’s Department budget where money could be cut and others where more funding is needed.
(Unanswered)
9. Overcapacity in Orange County Jail has persisted in recent years. Is this a problem due to housing Federal inmates? Is there a permanent solution?
No, but the increase in longer sentences and higher bonds due to habitual and more heinous criminal acts has increased. I believe that we should take a look at changing our bonding structure to make sure we are holding them on bond strictly to ensure they appear in court and not for punishment. The construction of a new jail facility to house federal prisoners away from Downtown Hillsborough would allow us to increase the number of federal prisoners, thus increasing the amount of funding the federal government provides for those services and would in turn hopefully help in decreasing taxes. We would still operate the jail in downtown Hillsborough and house local prisoners for appearance in court (which would be more cost effective and safer for our citizens and deputies) and state remanded prisoners until such time they could be transported to state holding facilities.
10. How do you see the OC Sheriff’s Office Working with municipal Police Departments?
The relationships with the municipal agencies in Orange County need to be improved and cultivated, this is sorely lacking. This starts at the top. As Sheriff I want our deputies, officers and agencies administrative officers working together closely in order to increase the quality of life for our citizens and reassure them that we are vested in the decrease of criminal activities in our county.
11. In what ways would you communicate and work with the Board of Commissioners, and other elected officials in Orange County.
I will have an open door policy for members of the public, deputies and elected officials of Orange County. I will attend meetings with our Board of Commissioners and keep them abreast of how we are doing as an agency. I would suggest creating a balanced score card for our agency and hope that the Commissioners and County Manager would consider implementing it across the board for all county level departments
12. What are the needs modernize the department in terms of technology?
The Sheriff’s Office needs to continue seeking grants to upgrade and convert to a completely paperless reporting system. We need to outfit all patrol vehicles with MDT’s and provide wireless access points which could be checked in and out at each shift change so they can access the counties Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Reporting Management System (RMS) while in their patrol cars thus reducing time spent having someone rekey the report into the RMS at the Sheriff’s Department the next day or days later. This means that reports that are written will be available for supervisory approval immediately and then available for citizens should they need one for whatever purpose. Also with the Hillsborough Police Department converting their existing RMS system to OSSI, which is what each agency in the county now has, we will be able to share information by allowing access to each agencies databases. Using the Code Red system and social media to push information to the public and request assistance when needed.
