Many Sheriff's Department Improvements

Members of the Sanford Lions Club heard the latest update from the Lee County Sheriff’s Department at it’s weekly meeting Thursday, Oct. 22. Detective Sgt. Brandon L. Wall was guest speaker presented by Lion John Byrd who also opened the dinner meeting with prayer.

President-elect Marvin Joyner presided over the meeting while Lion Avron Upchurch led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Tail twister Bob Nelson shared his wit with fellow Lions, but then delivered some stirring remarks about the importance of expressing thanks and appreciation to those volunteers who help Lions during the annual Lee Regional Fair and other events sponsored by the club. The club was readying for an “Appreciation Night” Nov. 29 to honor all the wives, neighbors and friends and members of the business community whose support made the 2009 fair a success.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Department has received several state and federal grants recently that enabled the hiring of new officers and equipment to better serve citizens, Sgt. Wall stated in his remarks. One of the biggest is a$650,000 grant through the U.S. Rural Law Enforcement Act for which Lee County was the only sheriff’s recipient in North Carolina.

These funds will provide several jail improvements including a video system connected to courtrooms eliminating the need of escorting defendants physically from jail to court for routine appearances before judges. New fingerprint equipment along with two additional technicians will be acquired as will new computers for patrol vehicles, and two more patrol officers.

Sgt. Wall, a Lee County native and six year department veteran, cited numerous statistics showing improvement in many areas of law enforcement. New specialists employed in areas of narcotics, organized gang activity, and crime scene investigation has resulted in more arrests and knowledge of these criminal behaviors. The overall clearance rate of cases has improved greatly from year to year, he said.

The Sheriff’s support of programs directly benefiting citizens is positively impacting the county. These include a senior citizens contact program with the help of volunteers, a kid’s club, the reverse 911 system where citizens are contacted by telephone if a serious crime occurs in their neighborhood or community, and community watch. Sgt. Wall also urges citizens to be ever vigilant against identity theft by closely protecting important numbers such as social security, bank ID log-ins and credit cards.