About Halifax County Sheriff and Detention Center, NC

Halifax County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) is located at 355 Ferrell Lane, Halifax, NC 27839. The office, under Sheriff Wes Tripp, is committed to delivering the safest environment and best level of service to improve the quality of life for all residents. In addition, it is well-prepared to uphold all laws, deter criminal activity, protect and serve the public, and keep peace at all times.

The office also operates within the belief that everyone has dignity and value. As such, its mission is to defend lives and property in the county and protect the innocent from fraud and persecution, all while upholding the people’s fundamental rights.

The residents elect the Sheriff in Halifax like in other counties in North Carolina. Thus, the Sheriff has direct mandates to the residents and is ordained to serve and protect the community’s best interests. However, the Sheriff works hand-in-hand with his assistants in different units and ranks, including his deputies.

HCSO Staff And Responsibilities

Court Duties

All three criminal justice system components are under the office’s jurisdiction. The office is also responsible for:

• Maintaining the county jail.
• Ensuring courtroom safety.
• Enforcing laws throughout the county.
• Transporting prisoners.
• Running crime labs.
• Collecting taxes.

He also serves writs and offers court security. In addition, he oversees the county jail and correctional centers. It also supports specialist units and local police such as bomb squads, SWAT teams, and investigation units.

Firearms Permits

The Sheriff issues permits and renewals to acquire firearms in Halifax County. Residents may apply for a gun permit online, which is available on weekdays from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. However, to apply, the interested party must have:

• A valid North Carolina driver’s license or photo identification with their current address.
• Social Security Number, passport, ID (work/school), and professional license.

If you present incorrect paperwork or details, you will be denied a permit.

HCSO Support Staff 

The HCSO Support Staff is responsible for the regular daily duties. They help the office perform successfully and efficiently. The Sheriff’s Office’s support staff jobs are critical to the organization’s operations. That includes:

Administrative Officer

This position provides high-level executive support to the Sheriff and Chief Deputy. Furthermore, it interconnects the Sheriff’s Department with the County Manager’s Office. The officer coordinates financial, personnel, and legal actions with county agencies. In addition, the officer works with vendors to buy and inventory equipment and supplies. In coordination with other Sheriff’s Office employees, the officer ensures that all standards are met.

Information Processing 

These jobs perform a range of clerical services for the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office under the direction and supervision of the Executive Assistant. That includes:

• Public service.
• Records upkeep.
• Document preparation.
• Data processing.

This role necessitates frequent communication with county residents and various external partners. Moreover, it entails maintaining all records, warrants, court orders, and civil proceedings.

HCSO Units

Criminal Investigations And Narcotics

The Criminal Investigative Unit investigates:

• Property offenses.
• Assaults.
• Fraud cases.
• Murders.
• Sex crimes.

The detectives have experience in various areas and are allocated cases based on their competence areas. Burglaries, robberies, larcenies, motor vehicle thefts, missing/neglected kids, and other crimes are assigned to a detective depending on where the offense happened in the county.

Narcotics

The Narcotics Unit’s primary goal, led by a Captain, is to find illegal drugs, alcohol, gambling, prostitution, and other vices in Halifax County.

In addition, these agents work relentlessly with federal, state, and other agencies to build safe and law-abiding communities across the county by educating the public and enforcing the law. This unit also deals with complex investigations and information gathering on suspected drug sellers on the street drugs.

Besides dealing narcotics, these agents are responsible for money laundering, taking assets from dealers, and testifying in state and federal courts. His duties include:

• Drugs eradication.
• Search warrants.
• Regulated drug transactions.
• Prostitution stings on prostitutes who solicit undercover investigators.

Patrol

The Uniform Patrol Division is under a patrol deputy and is often the most likely to be the first Sheriff’s Office contact to Halifax County residents. Members of this unit are well-versed with the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Code of Ethics and the Sheriff’s Standard Operating Procedures, hence performing their duties in the most professional standards.

A patrol deputy’s primary responsibility is to:

• Respond to all requests for help as quickly as possible.
• Make and send the first investigation reports to the appropriate division for further investigation.
• Secure all crime scenes,
• Serve civil and criminal papers.
• Transport inmates to the directed locations.
• Perform other duties as assigned directly related to the road patrol function.

Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP)

With the county’s population rising and having over 48,300 residents, the county highways and commercial roads have heavy traffics. The county ranks 43rd in traffic fatalities, 38th in speed-related deaths, and 35th in unrestrained fatalities in North Carolina. Consequently, the office has been working hard to strengthen ties with the community through this program. This program comes in handy to make the roads as safe as possible.

The STEP program’s goal is to help the Sheriff’s Office with:

• Reducing deaths.
• Increasing the use of seat belts.
• Identifying and prosecuting OUI-Alcohol and Drugs drivers.

HCSO Contact Information

To speak directly to the office, you can call the office at 252-583-8201 or Fax: 252-583-2698. You can also write to the office through:

Mailing Address

PO Box 36

Halifax, NC 27839

You can freely call to inquire about the security issues of the county or the county detention facility.

Halifax County Detention Center

The Halifax County Detention Center (HCDC) is a medium-security facility located at 355 Ferrell Lane, 27839 Halifax, North Carolina. The facility has been in operation since 1994. It has a capacity of 85 convicts and is staffed by 14 correctional officers. This institution has 99 employees supervised by the county sheriff’s department, including a doctor and a health nurse.

The facility assists public safety by providing detention services to people accused of or convicted of various criminal and civil offenses. The HCSO has authority and control over the HCDC.

The facility accepts inmates from all around the county. However, it also takes inmates from the surrounding cities and towns that do not have their own detention centers. In addition, it accepts inmates for the US Marshals. While most of the inmates here are convicted or awaiting their trials, it also detains inmates who violate their probation.

Inmates available in the facility are awaiting a trial, bail hearing, or serving time. However, those serving time have a sentence of fewer than 24 months, with a possibility of probation and parole after serving half of their sentence.

HCDC Staff

Each staff in the facility is trained to deal with the inmates in the facility. That includes the medical team, the teachers and lecturers, and the correctional officers. The facility’s mandate is to serve the community and citizens by ensuring the safe, secure, and humane detention of those in the custody while preparing them for successful reintegration into society.

Ideally, the facility personnel adheres to the core values of integrity, loyalty, and service to provide a secure, safe, efficient, progressive, and humane environment for both staff and inmates. Although the Sheriff is responsible for hiring and firing the staff and supervising them, the sheriff delegates some powers to the HCDC Command Staff. This officer is in charge of overseeing the operations of the facility, including:

• Detention staff supervision.
• Inmate care oversight.
• Adherence to department policies and procedures ensures employees’ and inmates’ security, safety, and well-being.
• Oversee the effective functioning of the facility daily in line with applicable rules and regulations. This includes accommodation, food, clothes, medical treatment, recreation, and safety.

Inmate Intake And Pre-Sentence Release 

All detainees must be booked upon arrival at the correctional institution. This includes issuing out their formal names documents in addition to taking their mugshots. The officers must also give them a prisoner handbook that includes duties, guidance, services and programs, inmate and staff codes of conduct, and rules and regulations.

The convicts are then screened as part of an orientation program. This is to identify their medical information, both physical and mental. This helps the prison better understand how to assist the convict re-enter society.

Those awaiting trial, however, are booked. Some are freed after posting bail. Those who cannot afford bail are returned to the institution. Because some cases take months to resolve, these prisoners go through the same orientation as those serving their sentences.

Bail Bonds

Bail is the amount of money and obligations required to be released from jail pending the outcome of your criminal case. Officers transport detainees to court within 48 hours after arrest. The magistrate sets your bail and other terms of release. Exceptions to this regulation include claims of murder or domestic violence.

Bond and pre-release arrangements feature the following:

• Cash bond.
• Written Promise to Appear.
• Unsecured Bond.
• Secured Bond.

Every inmate has a commissary account to receive money from family and friends to spend on prison necessities. The inmates, however, have duties and responsibilities that they must attend to always. Some work as trustees in the kitchen, laundry, and maintenance departments. These inmates receive additional benefits, such as reduced days, early release, and little money deposited to their commissary accounts.

Inmate Programs

The programs in this facility are relatively simple since the prison houses non-violent convicts for shorter periods. That includes ESL and GED Programs and vocational and technical courses.

The facility also offers beneficial health programs and services. They offer critical medical services with a ready facility ambulance on-site 24/7. Moreover, the inmates receive psychological services such as counseling, anger management, therapy, and motivational programs. Experts conduct individual and group therapy for mental health. This helps convicts re-enter society by re-wilding their minds.

This institution’s programs assist offenders in recovering and abstaining from drugs since most of the inmates are convicted of drug misuse and possession. The center also offers community self-help and escort programs. That includes Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholic Anonymous. Community-based initiatives with free library books and services help assist rehabilitation and education.

Inmate Release Post Sentence

Inmates in the facility can get released under different circumstances such as:

• Finishing their sentence.
• Community Services.
• House Arrest.
• Probation and Parole.

The prison works to ensure the offenders depart after serving their terms and in better condition than they came in. Correctional officers get a “good word in,” and some inmates get early release through probation and parole. Others qualify for electronic ankle bracelets which monitor persons under house arrest. They also help monitor repeat offenders’ alcohol intake. Moreover, it measures blood alcohol levels and reports the findings to the supervisor. On the other hand, in exchange for freedom, others get some community service time.

However, the facility returns convicts to any of these agencies; US Marshals, Federal agencies, ICE, and Homeland Security. It is up to the agencies to deal with the prisoners.