More deputies

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: July 28, 2008

Criminals are opportunists at heart. They always look for the places that are safe for them and their illegal activities.

Often, they will gravitate toward communities that don’t have a strong law enforcement presence. That’s why it’s important for neighboring communities to have strong, well-staffed law enforcement agencies.

In Caswell County, N.C., Sheriff Mike Welch recently concluded a six-year effort to hire more patrol deputies. Welch wanted to divide his square-shaped, 435-square-mile county into four beats, up from the current two.

When Welch took office, he had just 12 deputies on patrol — or just three per shift. Last year, he had 14. Recently, the Caswell County Board of Commissioners approved the hiring two more deputies, to bring the total to 16 — or four per shift, and one for each of the four new beats.

The new beat structure promises to give the Caswell County Sheriff’s Office a more visible presence in the community, quicker response times and improve safety for the deputies. It should also cut down on fuel costs and the wear-and-tear all patrol cars endure.

“Last year, the patrol division alone drove 445,112 miles,” Welch said. “We were averaging 32,000 miles a year on each patrol car.”

But fate intervened and almost ruined Welch’s careful planning.

On July 1, the town of Yanceyville disbanded its police force. Since the town was part of the county, the sheriff’s office was responsible for patrolling there, too.

Yanceyville Town Council has agreed to pay the county $210,000 per year so it can hire four additional deputies to create a fifth patrol beat in the town. The contract includes the equipment used by the town’s now-defunct police department.

Fighting crime isn’t something that’s done within the borders of each individual town, city and county. More patrol deputies in Caswell County is good news for public safety in the entire Dan River Region.