Sheriff Recognizes County Jailers

"Hidden Force of Law Enforcement"

Sgt. Wade Barker was one of the 25 staff members of the Lee County Jail to get certificates of appreciation from Sheriff Tracy Carter for their work in the county detention facility . The awards were a surprise presentation at an 8 am staff meeting. Noting that the jailers work behind thick walls, Sheriff Carter referred to them as the "hidden force of law enforcement" and a vital part of the Lee County Sheriff Office's team.

Annual Sheriff's Office Open House A Big Success

Only a small handful of the cornucopia of food and treats served up for members of the public can be seen in this picture of Sheriff Tracy Carter and David Spivey. Spivey was one of more than 200 people who turned out for the Lee County Sheriff Department's Christmas Open House. It took 10 tables to hold the goodies supplied by members of the department and their spouses.

Sheriff Tracy Carter said, "This is a blessed season in which we remember the greatest promise God ever made to man. It is our job to serve the public every day, and there was a special spirit of joy in our people coming together to serve our guests today."

Sex Offenders Charged With Failing to Register

(courtesy of the Sanford Herald)

Making sure sex offenders are registered with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was the focus of a campaign organized by Lt. Ed Murchison on Wedsnesday. Murchioson and his group, which consisted of Sheriff Tracy Carter and members of the Lee CountyParole and Probation office, spent much of the day contacting Lee County’s roughly 50 sex offenders and making sure that they were properly registered with the office.

Under North Carolina’s Constitution, county sheriffs are responsible for maintaining a registry of sex offenders in their county. Sheriff Tracy Carter said the initiative was started for several reasons. There are new laws as of December about how sex offenders are required to register with their county sheriff, citizens are often unaware that they have access to information about whether sex offenders are living in their neighborhoods, and many sex offenders are unaware of the procedures they must go through to register.


Murchison stated that the campaign is one that will be repeated periodically. “The sheriff wants people to know that he’s taking a touch stance on this,” Murchison said.

Failing to register with the sheriff is a felony charge. At the end of the day, the task force was able to take 3 unregistered sex offenders into custody. For more information on sex offenders residing in Lee County, click here.

Sheriff Visits Bob The Bounty Hunter in Raleigh

Lee County Joins in Media Effort to Capture Fugitives

G105 has a morning segment called "Bob the Bounty Hunter" on Thursday's at 8:00. Local sheriffs are invited to appear on the show and give names and information about suspects. Today the sheriff was Lee County's own Tracy Carter. Listeners in communities have stepped up to call in tips about fugitives after hearing their descriptions on the show. Information about the fugitives is also posted on the show's website. This segment has been credited with helping law enforcement officials get information necessary for the capture of 64 local fugitives. Show host Bob Dumas welcomed Sheriff Carter and noted that Lee County listeners had frequently requested to have their county included--a request now honored by the new sheriff in town. "I plan to put this valuable law enforcement asset to work for Lee County on a continuous basis," Sheriff Carter said. Sheriffs from Wake, Johnston, Chatham, Durham, and Franklin counties are also currently participating in the program.

Sheriff's Narcotics Unit Gets New Member

Buvi Now A County-Wide Resource!

When Tracy Carter was Chief of the Lee County Schools Special Police, his agency became the only law enforcement agency in the county to have a K-9 officer with a highly trained drug dog. Now Buvi, a Belgian Malinois, is coming to work for now Sheriff Carter as part ot the Sheriff's Narcotics Unit. Buvi is teamed with David Prevatte, a school resouce officer, who is joining the county drug unit.Under an agreement with the Lee County Board of Education, the Sheriff's Office will purchase Buvi for $1, and the Sheriff's Office will assist the schools with drug searches as needed."I am pleased to have Buvi back," said Sheriff Carter. "Now we can put him to work county-wide." The Sheriff added that Buvi would also be available to assist, if requested, by the Sanford and Broadway Police Departments. Trained drug dogs such as Buvi are especially helpful with drug interdiction--a priority of the Sheriff's Office.

Stronger Courtroom Security Measures

Inmates Wear Leg Restraints To Court

There was stronger security in courtrooms as Lee County District District Court opened following the swearing in of Sheriff Tracy Carter on Monday. Sheriff Carter ordered that inmates be placed in leg restraints when appearing before judges in pretrial proceedings. This change in policy practically eliminates the risk that inmates may flee the courtroom and significantly increases the ability of bailiffs to control them, according to Chief Bailiff James Davis. The practice is similar to that used in Superior Court and has been expanded to district court. Adding the restraints, which take less than two minutes to apply, impedes the mobility of inmates and makes them easier to be pushed to the floor in the event of threatening behavior. Most judges do not allow the use of leg restraints during jury trials as it is thought to have the potential to prejudice the jury. In most instances, cases in district court are disposed of through guilty pleas resulting from plea bargain arrangements so inmates will most always be restrained under the new procedures.

Sheriff Setting Pace For Community Policing

His first week in office Sheriff Tracy Carter participated in three community policing activities. The Sheriff has directed deputies to participate in at least two community policing activities each month. He led a four unit entry in the Sanford Christmas Parade on Monday and arranged for McGruff, the crime fighting dog, to ride with him on Saturday in the Broadway Christmas Parade.

A front page story in the Sanford Herald (11/9/2006) reported that the new Sheriff visited students in the third grade at J.R. Ingram Elementary School to help them wrap up their Kids Voting program. His main message to the students was one of persever­ance. He ran for sheriff in 2000 and lost by a slim margin, but went on to win a hotly contested race last November. He also fielded questions from the students. One of the students, Michael Carter, who is of no rela­tion to the sheriff, was assigned the sheriff’s race. After researching both Carter and Democratic candidate Kevin Bryant, he happened to run into the new sheriff at Pizza Inn and asked him if he would come speak to his class, a request to which Carter readily agreed.The Sheriff said, "I realize there are not Christmas parades every week, but there are community events every day in Lee County. I want deputies to reach out and find out how to be involved. The community can play a role to by inviting our deputies to participate. Had it not been for Michael asking me, I would not have had the pleasure of visiting with the kids at J.R. Ingram Elementary or the privilege of supporting the Kids Voting project. Groups or individuals who would like a deputy to participate in a community event can email Sheriff Carter with their suggestions.