Franklin Rice’s Vision for Carteret County

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I believe effective law enforcement starts with relationships. Deputies should be visible, engaged, and connected to the citizens they serve. Community policing is about more than responding when something goes wrong. It means knowing our communities, listening to citizens, building relationships, and working together to keep Carteret County safe.

My focus includes:

• Increasing neighborhood and community engagement.
• Creating regular opportunities for citizens to interact with deputies.
• Maintaining a service-first approach centered on community needs.
• Strengthening communication between the Sheriff’s Office and the citizens we serve.
• Building meaningful relationships throughout every part of Carteret County.

The goal: Build stronger relationships between deputies and citizens so the Sheriff’s Office remains connected, accessible, and responsive to the communities we serve.

BUILD SMART. BUILD RIGHT.

Carteret County needs a new jail, but how we build it matters. I believe we need to meet our county’s needs today while planning responsibly for growth in the future.

• Build a facility appropriately sized for Carteret County.
• Design it with the ability to expand as our population grows and our needs change.
• Avoid intentionally creating surplus jail beds for the purpose of housing large numbers of out-of-county inmates.
• Consider long-term staffing, operating costs, security, transportation, and liability when determining the size and design.
• Make  the new jail one part of a broader countywide public-safety strategy rather than concentrating every Sheriff’s Office function in one location.

The goal: Build what Carteret County needs, build it right, and plan intelligently for future growth without unnecessarily creating a larger and more expensive operation than our citizens require.

SHERIFF’S SERVICES WHERE PEOPLE ACTUALLY ARE

Carteret County stretches from Down East to the western end of the county. I believe our Sheriff’s Office should reflect that geography.

I want to explore strategically located rural public-safety hubs in Down East and Western Carteret that would bring Sheriff’s Office resources and other appropriate services closer to the citizens we serve.

• Establish Sheriff’s Office substations in Down East and Western Carteret.
• Base patrol deputies closer to their assigned areas.
• Give deputies locations to report, work, stage equipment, and complete administrative duties.
• Reduce unnecessary travel back and forth to Beaufort when duties can appropriately be handled closer to a deputy’s assigned area.
• Explore opportunities for magistrate access outside Beaufort.
• Explore appropriate short-duration custody and transportation functions where legally and operationally feasible.
• Explore opportunities to co-locate behavioral-health crisis resources and partnerships.
• Design each location around the needs of the surrounding communities rather than simply duplicating the central Sheriff’s Office.
• Use distributed locations to strengthen law-enforcement presence and coverage throughout our county.

The goal: Put deputies and Sheriff’s Office resources closer to the citizens we serve, strengthen countywide coverage, improve access to services, and create opportunities to improve response times throughout Carteret County.

Strong leadership requires clear expectations, consistent standards, and accountability at every level. As Sheriff, I would expect professional conduct and responsible decision-making from myself, my leadership team, and every member of the organization.

Accountability should not be something we talk about only when something goes wrong. It should be built into how an organization operates every day.

My focus includes:

• Establishing clear expectations and reporting practices.
• Ensuring consistent adherence to department policies and standards.
• Maintaining strong supervision and oversight.
• Holding leadership to the same high standards expected throughout the organization.
• Emphasizing responsibility, professionalism, and integrity in decision-making.
• Making sure training reinforces the standards expected of our personnel.

The goal: Create a culture where expectations are clear, standards are consistently applied, and everyone understands the responsibility that comes with serving the citizens of Carteret County.

I believe in being proactive about public safety. Law enforcement cannot prevent every crime, but we can use information, partnerships, enforcement, and community involvement to identify problems and address them before they grow.

My focus includes:

• Using data-informed approaches to identify crime trends and problem areas.
• Strengthening coordination with municipal, state, federal, and neighboring law-enforcement agencies.
• Working with community organizations and citizens to identify concerns.
• Increasing emphasis on prevention and proactive enforcement rather than relying solely on reaction.
• Using partnerships and available resources to address recurring public-safety problems.

The goal: Identify problems earlier, use our resources strategically, and work together to prevent crime whenever possible rather than simply responding after it happens.

TOUGH ON TRAFFICKERS. SMART ABOUT ADDICTION.

I believe we have to recognize the difference between people who profit from bringing and distributing illegal drugs in our communities and individuals who are struggling with addiction.

We need strong enforcement against traffickers and dealers while recognizing that enforcement alone will not solve addiction.

• Prioritize enforcement efforts against drug traffickers and dealers.
• Strengthen interdiction efforts aimed at disrupting the movement and distribution of  illegal drugs.
• Work collaboratively with the NC State Bureau of Investigation, federal partners, neighboring law-enforcement agencies, and appropriate drug task forces.
• Support appropriate diversion and treatment options for individuals struggling with addiction.
• Combine enforcement, prevention, treatment partnerships, and community resources rather than relying on one approach alone.

The goal: Focus our enforcement resources on the people profiting from illegal drug distribution while supporting appropriate pathways toward treatment and recovery for people struggling with addiction.

Protecting our young people and supporting families is an important part of public safety. I have spent years working with schools, young people, families, churches, and community organizations, and I believe those relationships matter.

The Sheriff’s Office should be a partner in helping create safe environments for our children while building positive relationships between young people and law enforcement.

My focus includes:

• Strengthening coordination with School Resource Officers and our schools.
• Expanding youth outreach and prevention efforts.
• Building strong partnerships with educators, parents, and community leaders.
• Supporting programs that create positive interactions between deputies and young people.
• Working collaboratively to identify safety concerns affecting children and families.
• Strengthening prevention and education efforts before young people enter the criminal-justice system.

The goal: Keep our children safe, support families, and build positive relationships with young people that can make a difference long before law enforcement intervention becomes necessary.

The men and women serving Carteret County deserve the training, equipment, support, and leadership necessary to do their jobs safely and effectively.

High-quality training makes better deputies. It improves decision-making, officer safety, professionalism, and the service we provide to citizens. But we also have to recognize the physical and mental demands placed on law-enforcement officers and detention personnel.

My focus includes:

• Expanding advanced and specialized training opportunities.
• Providing modern equipment and technology.
• Increasing leadership and professional-development opportunities.
• Strengthening crisis-response and behavioral-health training.
• Supporting deputy and detention-officer wellness.
• Creating opportunities for employees to grow professionally throughout their careers.

The goal: Give our personnel the preparation, resources, support, and leadership they need to serve Carteret County effectively and safely.

INVEST IN THE DEPUTIES WE ALREADY HAVE

Recruiting good deputies matters, but keeping experienced deputies matters just as much.

I want to invest in the people who are already serving Carteret County while creating opportunities for them to grow throughout their careers.

• Develop clear career ladders and step-pay opportunities.
• Explore lateral-entry options that recognize the experience qualified officers bring from other agencies.
• Provide incentives for education, advanced certifications, and professional development.
• Expand specialized and leadership training opportunities.
• Strengthen wellness resources for deputies and detention officers.
• Make  retaining experienced personnel a continuing organizational priority.

The goal: Recruit good people, develop them, invest in them, and give experienced employees reasons to build their careers with the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office.

STRENGTHEN OUR RESPONSE TO MENTAL-HEALTH CRISES

Our deputies will continue to encounter citizens experiencing mental-health and behavioral-health crises. I want to make sure they have the training, resources, and partnerships necessary to respond safely and appropriately.

Law enforcement has an important role in crisis response, but a jail should not automatically become the destination for someone whose primary need is behavioral-health treatment.

• Expand and strengthen partnerships with Trillium Health Resources and behavioral-health providers.
• Explore greater use of mobile crisis co-response alongside law enforcement.
• Expand Crisis Intervention Team training and other crisis-response training for deputies.
• Improve coordination among law enforcement, emergency services, healthcare providers, and behavioral-health professionals.
• When legally and clinically appropriate, connect individuals experiencing  behavioral-health crises with treatment resources rather than relying unnecessarily on jail intake.
• Explore incorporating behavioral-health resources into the proposed Down East and Western Carteret public-safety hubs where feasible.

The goal: Give our deputies better tools and partnerships to respond safely to behavioral-health calls while helping connect people in crisis with services appropriate to their situation.