Willie Rowe, candidate for Wake County Sheriff
Name: Willie Rowe
Age: 62
Political party: Democrat
Campaign website: RoweforSheriff.com
Occupation and employer: Chairman, Wake County ABC Board
Education: Graduate of Garner Senior High School
Have you run for elected office before? Yes. Wake County Sheriff in 2014
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Raleigh Inter-Church Housing; Deacon, First Baptist Church in Raleigh overseeing the Safety and Security Committee; Fellowship Home, Foundation Board Member, volunteer helper.
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Nancy McFarlane, Edward Blomgren and Wayne Bumgardner
What are three things you want to accomplish in the next year, and how do you plan to accomplish them?
▪ Increase staffing, improve morale and working conditions. First step to safer communities is restoring sufficient staffing levels so employees are not overworked and have quality time with their families, which will boost morale and reduce unnecessary stress.
▪ Restore public trust in the Sheriff’s Office leadership. Creating a Sheriff’s Advisory Council will help with transparency, accountability and restoring public trust.
▪ Reduce crime and enhance public safety. Establishing a Community Engagement Unit to address the mental health crisis, drug addiction, domestic violence, teen bullying and an after-school athletic and activity program for at-risk youth will reduce crime, create opportunities and foster positive relationships.
What about your experience makes you the best person to be Wake County’s next sheriff?
I’m a Army Veteran; Retired Major, Wake County Sheriff’s Office with 28 years of service (21 years as a supervisor); former Liaison, Wake County Clerk of Superior Court; and Chairman Wake County ABC Board.
I am a graduate of the NCSU Administrative Officer’s Management Program, Raleigh Police Leadership Institute and I successfully completed numerous investigative and management courses, extensive patrolling and criminal investigation duties and assignments and served at senior staff-level positions where I assisted in developing and implementing budgets, policies and procedures; supervising and managing staff, resources and daily operations.
My community volunteering, financial support of nonprofit organizations and continuous engagement to address affordable housing, ending hunger and homelessness, support of second-chance initiatives and mentoring programs for at-risk youth has established ongoing relationships that will help in restoring public trust, transparency and accountability.
What does the current administration do well? In what areas does the Sheriff’s Office need to improve?
The Sheriff’s Office has a dedicated staff that shows up every day and gives their all to serve and protect. Unfortunately, the lack of leadership, vision and depleted staff endangers officer safety and public safety. Restoring sufficient staff levels is paramount to improving morale and working conditions in order for civilian staff, detention officers and deputies to discharge the duties of the office and maintain the jail, courts, civil processing of summons, orders, etc., patrol and criminal investigations.
How will you attract and retain deputies?
▪ Increase pay and establish performance-based bonuses and incentives such as offering continuing education and career advancement training that result in measurable and sustainable improved services.
▪ Adjust work schedules to ensure the staff has sufficient time off to spend with family and reduce stress.
▪ Create opportunities for retirees to work part-time, expand the Reserve Officers Program and capitalize on mutual aid agreement with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to address the immediate staff shortages while doubling recruiting efforts by hosting job fairs, visiting universities, community colleges, military installations, other job fairs and conducting more academies to meet the long-term goal of recruiting and maintaining a highly motivated professionally qualified staff.
Do you support the use of no-knock raids? Why or why not?
No. As an investigator and supervisor engaged in the service of numerous search warrants, I know firsthand the potential dangers encountered each time a search warrant is served. In regards to the no-knock, everything has to go perfect in order to prevent injury or death to the officers, the general public and/or the alleged suspect.
There are safer ways to apprehend or seize evidence from potentially dangerous individuals where a high risk for mistaken identity exists and the probability of gunfire. Policy, procedures, training and best practices must be in place to ensure law enforcement’s identity and intent is properly established (except for undercover operations) when engaging with the public.
Do you support the use of body-worn cameras for deputies?
Yes. Body-worn camera footage can serve as the best evidence of what actually occurred, improve officer and public safety and aid in future training to improve services and community engagement.
Under what circumstances and timelines do you support the release of body-camera footage? For example, do you support video release when requested? Only for serious or fatal incidents? Within 48 hours of the incident or only after the investigation is complete?
I support the release of footage where there’s concerns of public trust or officer’s misconduct for viewing to the victim, family of victim if deceased or incapacitated, guardian or legal counselor in a timely manner after the review and authorization by a judicial official. I believe the major priorities and concerns to address are public trust, integrity of the investigation, safety and privacy of the officer, victim and perpetrator and the ability to impanel a jury if the incident rises to the level of prosecution.
What is your definition of transparency, and how do you plan to apply that to your office?
Transparency is creating and maintaining a culture and environment of open, honest and accountable communications, interactions and engagement in the workplace and public. Leadership must set the example and expectations by modeling integrity and moral character. Establish and implement policies, procedures, guidelines and best practices with relevant training and documentation to ensure appropriate work performance and behavior are maintained.
What role does the Sheriff’s Office play in stemming violent crime, and how do you plan to approach that role?
Reducing crime and enhancing public safety is a primary duty of the Sheriff’s Office. To address violent crimes additional resources must be committed to prevention and deterring crime through increased presence and community engagement. In addition to patrolling, officers will interact directly with the community as partners to educate, build positive relationships and create opportunities for success.
How will you ensure that people of color and people who are poor are treated fairly?
My commitment to equal protection, opportunity and access will result in leadership that values all people equally and instituting the highest expectations and standards for officers’ conduct, behavior and work performance. Appropriate policies, procedures, best practices and cultural awareness training will be in place to ensure accountability, relationship building and fair and equal treatment of all people.
If elected, will you honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers? Participate in the 287 (g) program?
No, I will not honor the request of ICE to detain individuals who properly post bond. I will work with all agencies to keep Wake County safe; however I believe there are better ways and practices to determine the immigration status of a nonviolent person other than holding them in custody for an extended period time while a decision is made. I believe practices utilized in other federal investigations such as sending a letter to the individual requesting an interview and the opportunity of appearance with legal counsel would allow the person to continue to work and provide for their families.
Among the major concerns of the sheriff is whether or not individuals released from custody present a threat to the public. However, there’s no guarantee individuals who post bond will not commit a crime or violent act upon release from custody regardless of their current charge. Fortunately, the judicial official setting the bond has access to policy and arrestee’s information such as, violent or nonviolent crime, criminal history, and potential for flight risk, whether currently wanted for other violations or threat to the community to consider when determining the appropriate bond amount or no bond regardless of the person’s immigration status.
How do you plan to prevent deputies from using excessive force? How will your office handle cases involving excessive use of force?
Proper recruitment, vetting, psychological evaluations, training and supervision are the best means to ensure appropriate conduct and behavior by officers. All reported or suspected incidents of excessive force will be thoroughly investigated and documented internally to ensure transparency and accountability.
Depending on the extent of the injuries and the nature of the excessive force the District Attorney’s Office and State Bureau of Investigation will be notified to conduct an independent investigation. The results of the investigation(s) will be released to the District Attorney’s Office to determine if prosecution is appropriate. If the investigation(s) reveals violations occurred that do not constitute prosecution, appropriate disciplinary action and training will be administered.
Do you support an independent review board? Under your administration, what would that board look like?
If elected sheriff I will establish a Sheriff’s Advisory Council consisting of 18 members of the community tasked with meeting quarterly to review the Sheriff’s Office performance, procedures and best practices to ensure transparency, effectiveness, efficiency, diversity and public trust.
This story was originally published April 23, 2022 at 3:45 PM.
