SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. — In the last three weeks, at least seven officers have been shot in North Carolina: one in Sampson County, one in Caswell County, three in Wayne County, one in Forsyth County and one in Wake County.
Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton says such shootings are one reason they struggle to recruit new officers.
“When you’re trying to look at individuals that would want to express and have the desire to go into law enforcement, when you see these situations happening all around and nationwide, it’s not very encouraging or enticing for anyone to want to seek that profession,” Thornton said.
First Sgt. Donald Carter has been with the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office for 22 years.
“I enjoy feeling like I’m beneficial to my community. I like knowing that I’m out here, and I’m doing something good for society,” Carter said. “...My mom used to tell me that, even before I can remember, at the young ages of 4 or 5 that I would always tell her I was going to be a police.”
The sheriff’s office serves the second largest county in the state.
“What makes this uniquely difficult for us is the fact that we have a zone for a deputy that covers almost 500 square miles. We are covering a total of 963 square miles on a day like today with three deputies,” Carter said.
Ideally, they’d have six deputies on any given weekday, but they can’t fill their open positions.
“We are 13 positions short right now between the jail side and the sheriff side,” Carter said.
So why is it so hard to find and keep officers?
“Obviously, you know we know that we assume certain risks. The job has its inherent dangers,” Carter said. “The job is becoming more and more dangerous. It’s almost like society is at a war with us.”
Beyond the risks, Carter says it puts a strain on the mind and emotions, which can have other negative consequences.
“We’ve seen the job ruin marriages. We’ve seen the job ruin relationships with the children in the family,” Carter said.
On top of all that, Carter believes the starting pay, especially in Sampson County, makes people even more hesitant to put a badge on.
“It makes it hard when you have nothing to offer when the pay is so low. I think our starting pay here now is $38,000 a year,” Carter said. “It makes it very hard to recruit new people today to come into this profession and put up with what we have to do and assume the inherent risk that we have to assume when they can go to McDonald’s and nearly make the same amount of money.”
He says that he could go to the next county over and make more money but that he stays because it would be a disservice to his community and his family to leave.
“There will not be a day nor minute that I’m not prepared, and I have not done my part to make sure that this is the safest county for them to live, work and play in,” Carter said.
The Sampson County deputy who was shot almost three weeks ago is recovering, and a benefit lunch is planned for her Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Civic Center.