“I was a deputy for 29 years and served six years as chief deputy,” the sheriff said Tuesday, a day after giving his state of the sheriff's office report to Halifax County commissioners. “There's a difference once you sit in that chair. We've been able to be successful because we're a team. Everyone has a part to play.”

Tripp said sometimes he has to ask himself if the experience is real. “It's very real,” he said. “The biggest thing is you must be available and accessible, getting out in the community and being seen.”

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In his report to commissioners Monday night, Tripp first outlined his community policing initiatives set in place over his tenure.

These initiatives include the following:

Concerns for your Community meetings.

Church Watch program.

E-Sheriff Email program.

New substations at the following locations — Tomahawk Meadows in Hollister; Littleton Volunteer Fire Department on Oak Grove Church Road, and Dogwood Park Apartments in South Weldon.

Expanded business security checks to residences.

Added deputy pick-up to the existing medicine drop program.

They also include the following:

Increased patrols along Lake Gaston during the summer.

Improve visibility of deputies throughout the county.

Fostered Neighborhood Watches in different communities.

Working closer with other agencies than ever before.

Enhanced sex offender program to assign offenders to deputies to increase the frequency of checks.

Partnered with United States Marshals and the state Department of Public Safety to coordinate sex offender programs.

New firearms permit system

The sheriff’s office has partnered with Permitium to create a more efficient system to apply for and issue purchase permits and concealed carry weapon permits.

Simplifies the application process and reduces the number of visits to the sheriff’s office required for each permit.

Follow this link to apply.

Achievements

The highest rate of solved cases in any of the surrounding counties.

The first female deputy was assigned to patrol in January 2014. There are currently five female deputies, three working on patrol.

Established and outfitted the Hazardous Entry Arrest Team using federal asset forfeiture funds.

Subsidized the county budget utilizing federal asset forfeiture funds earned from major cases to purchase much needed equipment.

Applied for and awarded grants to purchase laptops, Tasers, body cameras, and bulletproof vests.

Implemented body cameras for all 32 patrol deputies.

Items funded by federal asset forfeiture

Inmate transport van to allow multiple inmates to be transported at once, reducing the number of officers out of the county at any time.

Cameras for each patrol deputy to allow easy collection of evidence.

Surveillance equipment for investigations and narcotics.

Leads Online subscription, which is a tool to assist detectives in tracking stolen property.

Laptops for patrol deputies and investigators.

HEAT gear including tactical armor, weapons, ammunition, and tools used in hazardous environments.

Vehicle purchases or supplements to outfitting and marking them.

Cash used in narcotics campaigns.

A Ford F-150 seized as a part of a major federal drug case.

New color printer that reduces cost to run by 75 percent.

Various other equipment beyond the sheriff’s office budget.

Snapshots from presentation to the board

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Issues

From July 1, 2014 to June 30, the sheriff’s office received 43,657 calls for service.

High inmate population in the Halifax County Jail has forced the sheriff’s office and courts to work continually to move cases and inmates.

Limited budget that allows for maintaining the status quo but does not allow for enhancements.

High crime rate relative to location and population.

Limited number of certified applicants for deputy and jail positions.

Increased number of transport trips for inmates and involuntary commitments as a result of changes to the mental health system and limitations on jail capacity.

Diversity

Halifax County Sheriff’s Office seeks to be representative of its community.

Employees are evaluated and promoted strictly on performance and experience, without regard to race, gender, or other unrelated characteristics.

At present, 58 percent of the office's supervisors are minorities, including black and Native American employees.

The sheriff’s office employs members of the community from all communities within the county.

Community programs

The sheriff’s office is hosting meetings to work with communities on child safety and includes a Child ID Kit for parents to keep that includes fingerprints and other vital information.

Sheriff’s Office Citizen’s Advisory Board was established to help improve the sheriff’s office.

Halifax County Gang Task Force will work with other agencies and the public to combat gang activity through law enforcement activities and public outreach including educational meetings and the Gang Hotline.

Long-term goals

Increase squad size from 8 deputies to 10 deputies to allow for better coverage of the county and reduce response times.

Continue to work with municipal agencies to expand narcotics operations, as done with Roanoke Rapids and Weldon on the City County Drug Task Force.

Raise starting pay.

For deputies, it is currently $28,469, which is the lowest of any agency in Halifax County and lower than agencies in surrounding counties.

Cooperative enforcement

The Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the United States Attorney’s Office to pursue federal cases without a sponsoring federal agency.

This will enable federal prosecution of crimes as a part of the Safe Neighborhoods Program.

The sheriff’s office will also participate in an ATF-led Gang Task Force for the region.