{"id":8467,"date":"2022-10-26T20:05:03","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T20:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=8467"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:59:32","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:59:32","slug":"sheriff-birkhead-seeking-reelection-boasts-of-great-successes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2022\/10\/26\/sheriff-birkhead-seeking-reelection-boasts-of-great-successes\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheriff Birkhead, seeking reelection, boasts of “great successes”"},"content":{"rendered":"
Saying that he is \u201cdoing great things,\u201d Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead says he deserves a second four-year term.<\/span><\/p>\n Birkhead, 61, cites recent accreditation from corrections groups and the progress he\u2019s made modernizing the equipment carried by sheriff\u2019s deputies.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve had great successes,\u201d he said in an interview with The 9th Street Journal. \u201cWe’ve laid the foundation to do greater things in my second term, even in the midst of the COVID pandemic, the \u2018defund\u2019 movement, the tragic murder of George Floyd.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Birkhead said that under his leadership, the sheriff\u2019s office has achieved accreditation from the American Correctional Association, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. This is the first time the office has simultaneously held all three credentials.<\/span><\/p>\n Birkhead has received endorsements from INDY Week, the People\u2019s Alliance, and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The sheriff serves as the county\u2019s chief law enforcement officer. His office enforces laws in the unincorporated areas of the county and works closely with local police departments.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Birkhead, a Democrat, won the May primary election and will face unaffiliated candidate Maria Jocys in the general election on Nov. 8. Jocys is a retired FBI special agent who directed the agency\u2019s Raleigh office. Early voting is<\/span> already open<\/span><\/a> across the state.<\/span><\/p>\n Birkhead has worked in law enforcement since 1984. He served most recently as chief of police of the town of Hillsborough. Prior to that he was the chief of police at Duke University. After defeating the incumbent Michael Andrews for the 2018 Democratic nomination, he ran unopposed in the general election and became Durham\u2019s first Black sheriff.<\/span><\/p>\n Jocys\u2019 campaign has questioned whether he\u2019s done enough to reduce crime and has highlighted a <\/span>March 2022 clip of Birkhead<\/span><\/a> saying, \u201cI am not responsible for the violent crime that occurs inside the Durham city.\u201d The Jocys campaign bought billboards on the Durham Freeway and Hillsborough Road with a photo of Birkhead that included that quote and asked, \u201cSheriff Birkhead Not Responsible?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Birkhead said the quote has been taken out of context. While the City of Durham is within Durham County, he is not responsible for reporting the city\u2019s crime statistics. That is the job of the Durham Police Department. \u201cI report the crime that is in the 250 unincorporated miles of Durham County,\u201d said Birkhead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There have also been questions about his hires. In February, <\/span>the News & Observer reported<\/span><\/a> on staffing changes in the sheriff\u2019s office in an article headlined, \u201cAmong some hires by Durham sheriff: political ties, past firings.\u201d The article cited Birkhead\u2019s hiring of two employees who were previously fired from North Carolina law enforcement roles and two campaign allies with no previous law enforcement experience.<\/span><\/p>\n Birkhead said the hires were necessary for his department. \u201cYou got to bring in the people at the highest level that you have confidence in and that are qualified to do the job,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cI hired qualified people. I didn\u2019t hire my buddies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n