Tracy Story, a challenger, is running for the office of Halifax County sheriff.

The following are answers to questions submitted by rrspin:

One of the central issues in this race is experience and training. Please explain in detail why you are qualified to lead the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, including your law enforcement certifications, educational background, administrative or budgetary experience, and track record in executive leadership.

I bring over 30 years of executive leadership, personnel and business management along with a community first mindset. I have a lifetime of love and respect for law enforcement and served as a part time deputy in my spare time under a previous administration. With over 100 combined years, my team and I more than cover what law enforcement experience some may think I lack. I also completed Nash Community Colleges Criminal Justice Certificate Program.

The Sheriff’s job is not to be a deputy. The Sheriff’s job is to manage the office and to make sure the best people are in the best positions to serve our citizens. It's to manage a budget and other executive responsibilities. A strong business leader is also experienced in identifying inefficiencies, restructuring operations, improving workflow and focusing on real results for our citizens. I have a strong background in management, leadership, community engagement and a strong understanding of the law. For nearly a decade I've led teams on humanitarian and recovery missions all over the United States. These facts more than qualify me for the office of Sheriff. I meet or exceed all state requirements to be Sheriff. I am an extremely hard worker and have the heart, the commitment, the vision and mindset to unify our communities and bring real results to our citizens. I won't let you down.

There has been ongoing debate both nationwide and locally regarding Automated License Plate Readers such as the Flock Safety system. What is your assessment of these systems, and do you believe their use should continue, expand, or be discontinued in Halifax County? How do you balance their investigative benefits against public privacy concerns, and what specific audit policies will you enforce to prevent and address potential officer or staff abuse?

There has been major abuse in this program nationwide. It’s unacceptable and unbelievable to me that local, state and federal agencies do not protect the privacy of citizens with laws and regulations similar to the ones established in current DMV or law enforcement sensitive databases. Under my leadership, I will first establish protocols with checks and balances to ensure citizen protections. If an employee abuses this program, they simply won’t work for me and will likely face a district attorney’s referral. In terms of practicality, it’s not much different than a police officer watching traffic pass by as they look for violations. The cameras locally have led to identification of violent crime offenders that otherwise may not have been identified, stolen vehicles being recovered, many of which would’ve been utilized in future crimes. If elected, I will evaluate locations of these cameras to confirm that they are not located in areas with vantage points that may violate privacy, I will initiate an immediate audit of the system to make sure no one has violated any citizens rights and require monthly audits to be performed to maintain the trust and transparency of the office. 

What is your policy regarding take-home patrol vehicles for deputies and command staff who reside outside Halifax County? Please elaborate on how you balance out-of-county vehicle privileges between recruitment and retention needs, emergency call-back response times, and taxpayer costs such as fuel and vehicle maintenance.

I am a firm believer in the take home car program. It is essential in recruiting and retaining deputies. There is a very competitive market for good law enforcement officers and a nationwide shortage. The program enables deputies to efficiently check on for duty and to be ready and available quickly, on and off duty. To a deputy sheriff, their car is their office. When they have their own car, they are much more productive and efficient. The longevity of the cars are directly impacted by the care that the deputy provides. When there is accountability for taking care of ”their office” there are fewer maintenance costs and increased longevity of the county's investment. I am especially in favor of patrol cars being assigned so that they can be spread throughout the community. Criminals are opportunists. Having cars throughout the community is an absolute crime deterrent. 

I am also well aware of the current questions related to mismanagement of taxpayer dollars involving the fleet of vehicles assigned to the Sheriff's Office. Part of that involved a recent issue with a vehicle being driven an extended distance to and from work by a part time deputy. It's my opinion that we have policies and standards that we all follow concerning the assignment of vehicles. That includes everyone, even myself if I am elected your Sheriff. Mileage equals increased fuel costs, maintenance cost (oil changes, tires, brakes etc.) and decreases the vehicles overall value. Every mile should be at the service of our taxpayers here in Halifax County.

What do you see as the top three needs facing the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office today, and how do you plan to address or fund them within the county’s fiscal realities?

The single biggest priority is the need to overhaul our broken criminal justice system. Our public safety is directly impacted by its dysfunction. Our system has been broken since the forced merger in 2014, and has gotten worse every year since. I have a dedicated team that will coordinate efforts to go through the processes it would take to get our prosecution district back to a single Halifax County district. In terms of cost, it shouldn’t cost us anything, however it will reduce several thousands of dollars annually in savings at the jail alone. This system has contributed heavily to our massive backlogs of cases and extended stays at our jail which in turn cost our taxpayers more. These caseloads lead to ridiculous pleas and dismissals. Our taxpayers should not be supporting a broken system that doesn't serve its citizens.

The second need is associated with the first. We need to reduce violent crime and property crime in Halifax County. To combat this, I will implement a combination of strategies that can be implemented within the current budget provided by the county commissioners. To effectively reduce crime the following is required:

Halifax County justice system Reform

Improved community involvement countywide

The creation of a Cold Case Team

Creating common priorities for the entire Sheriff's office with a primary goal of solving crimes

Improving the Sheriff's office participation in Halifax County Crimestoppers

Revolutionizing school safety by utilizing laws that already exist. It allows for volunteer school resource deputies. I will also seek legislative improvements of the current law to be even more supportive for schools at no cost.

Reinstate the Community Watch, Church Watch and other similar programs. All have been proven to reduce crime and lead to apprehension of criminals and crime reduction.

Develop programs that don’t currently exist, such as preparing detainees for jobs upon release, faith based community involvement in mentorship, utilizing detainees for a work program to save taxpayer dollars and prepare them so that they may not reoffend. This can also incorporate helping at the county animal shelter. The goal is to reduce repeat offenders, thus reducing crime.

The third need is also related to the first two. We will create a Community Unity Committee with involvement at a level never experienced here. Law enforcement have traditionally had citizen oversight committees in similar name programs. Our program is different. We will have a committee representative of every township, representative of population and demographics. We will have multiple goals of educating the public, evaluating the feedback so as to prioritize the needs of every community, establishing rapport to continually increase trust, and to promote the ultimate transparency. 

While you only asked for 3 needs facing the Sheriff's Office today, here are 2 more I am extremely passionate about.

We will increase awareness for victims of crimes, families left behind and our unsolved cases. We will place pictures of these victims on the wall in the Sheriff’s Office, you’ll see weekly posts across social media discussing the facts and details that we can about the cases. Improving partnerships with organizations like Crime Stoppers and others that are dedicated to bringing justice to those wronged. Families will get regular calls or visits to let them know they are not forgotten.

I am also dedicated to improving our current Animal Control services and rebranding under the Sheriff's Office as Animal Safety and Enforcement. This new program will be a completely different vision from the past and allow volunteers to assist with caring for animals and improving adoptions. We will build a Volunteer Board responsible for networking and building relationships that give every animal the best chance at finding a home and extending lives with love and quality care. We will also have a no tolerance approach to animal abuse. 

With planning underway for the new Halifax County Detention Center, would you advocate for county commissioners to fund and construct a new sheriff’s administrative and operations building on the grounds of the new detention facility? Why or why not?

While I like the idea of having everything in a central location I do not believe that to be a need at this time. My goal is to keep our operational cost at a reasonable amount. Asking our taxpayers to fund another project at this time is unacceptable. As time goes forward and possible grants or other funding opportunities present themselves we can explore the move at that time. It's my goal to do our part to keep taxes as low as possible for our citizens and my department will do just that. 

The planned detention center will significantly alter daily operations compared to the existing facility. What will your projected staffing and detention officer needs be, and what specific strategies will you implement to recruit, train, and retain qualified detention staff?

This is a tough question to answer without specific knowledge of the proposed floor plan of the projected detention center. However, I have had several conversations with men who have extensive knowledge and experience in this field. In fact, one of these men has previously served as the Jail Administrator in Halifax County. He was not only a great asset for the County, but for the surrounding area, as well as the State of North Carolina. He was often called upon by several other jail administrators and even served on a board at the North Carolina Justice Academy to help strengthen jail services throughout the State.  I think having the Jail Administrator Association conduct a staffing analysis on the projected detention center is a great start. If I am not mistaken, the last time this was done was back in 2013, so it is long overdue. This analysis can be done at no cost to the county.

As far as the recruitment, training, and retention of staff, as I said earlier, my staff is my most important asset. I plan to meet with each staff member individually and as a group to hear what their needs are. It is hard to retain people when they do not feel that you are committed to their future. These meetings will be a priority. I intend to collaborate with the community college to explore paths for all staff to further their education. 

On March 20, 2025, 66-year-old Arnette Richardson was attacked by another inmate inside the Halifax County Detention Center and subsequently died from complications of multiple blunt force trauma at ECU Health in Greenville. State medical examiner findings noted that Richardson had low-level Alzheimer’s disease. With the construction of a new jail on the horizon, what specific protocols regarding inmate intake classification, mental health screenings, cellmate compatibility, and surveillance rounds must be implemented to prevent similar tragedies?

So let me start by saying that part of my team is very knowledgeable about the operations in jail settings. Not just any jail, but the Halifax County jail. When speaking to my team, we all agreed that this situation could happen in any jail, at any given time. However, there are things that can be done to minimize the triggers for these types of situations. It is important to recognize that the current Halifax County jail has been in operation since the late 1980s. It was designed with bed space to hold 85 detainees. With a good classification system, jails are considered over capacity at 85% of their bed capacity, which would be 73 beds for our current facility. It has recently been published that our jail population has been holding at around 168 detainees. 168 detainees in an 85-bed facility is operating at about 200% capacity, this is not only unacceptable but violates law.

There are several plans that my team and I plan to reintroduce on day one if I am elected. These plans are not new. These plans were enacted and proven effective by previous administrations, right here in Halifax County. Here are 2 examples.

The first plan is to go back to the practice of capping our in house population to a more manageable number of detainees. In the past, we had a relationship with several of our surrounding jails to enable us to relocate detainees who decided to cause problems. We would trade one of our detainees for a detainee from another jail who caused problems for the other jail. Sometimes, just the fact of being housed at another facility can remedy future problems. The other part of this plan is to continue to pay other jails to house parts of our excessive number of detainees. With this, there is a cost to the County. However, what price can we pay for the safety of our staff and other detainees? This plan has been done for several years.

Our next plan is to have weekly meetings with our District Attorney’s Office to address our detainees awaiting court appearances. These meetings do not cost us anything but the time to walk over with a list of detainees that are not represented by an attorney and who are ready to dispose of their case in a timely manner. This plan has proven very effective in getting non-violent detainees out of jail.

Illicit narcotics, particularly fentanyl, continue to drive property crime and violent offenses across the Roanoke Valley. What is your proactive strategy for narcotics interdiction, and how closely will your office coordinate with municipal police departments and state or federal task forces?

It is important to recognize that working with other agencies is paramount in combating our drug problem. Our drug traffickers are organized, and our law enforcement needs to be as well. I plan to build off of the existing relationships that already exist at the Sheriff’s Office. My team was very productive on this topic in the past, and I expect that we will be just as effective, if not more effective, in the future. This is also another topic that refers back to improved Crime Stoppers and community involvement. 

School safety remains a vital concern for families throughout Halifax County. Are you satisfied with current School Resource Officer coverage and training across county campuses, and what adjustments, if any, will you make to enhance school safety protocols?

NCGS 162-26 allows the Sheriff to establish a volunteer SRO program. This in my opinion is a game changer. This is not intended to replace our current SROs but support them with the ability to provide better presence and area coverage at no cost to the schools or taxpayers. Imagine a large school campus with multiple buildings, with multiple floors and hundreds of staff and students. How can one person effectively and efficiently perform his or her duties? This program allows for the current SRO at each school to oversee a team of vetted and qualified volunteers allowing for not only improved safety but a message that we are doing everything we can to protect our staff and students. By having additional personnel we stand a better chance of stopping a threat no matter from outside or within, this includes bullying. I will use every available legal resource we have to make sure our schools are safe.

What new operational, community policing, or youth-oriented initiatives will the public see under your leadership, and which existing programs or community partnerships do you consider essential to continue?

My vision is to reduce crime greatly, provide a program to unify all the good people of Halifax County and to change the people who have made bad decisions. I want to build an agency that every citizen can trust and respect. I want us to be proactive versus reactive. I want our team to make the quality of lives better for everybody throughout this county. In terms of new initiatives, I have a lot of work to do. Partnering with nonprofits and other organizations that have laid the foundation of impacting our youth is paramount to me. As I mentioned before, Community Watch, Church Watch, Senior Watch, School Watch and other programs that can be led by local passionate volunteers with the main purpose of making our home a better place to live. A major new initiative will also be substations in areas that need additional presence. This is an example of proactive customer service, because our citizens are our customers.