Jason Spivey has worked for New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office for nine years and began his career working in the New Hanover County Correctional Center. Spivey also served on the Wilmington Police Department’s Housing Task Force.
Check out all of the candidates here
Pender County Sherriff – Primary Election 2018
Jason Spivey is one of seven candidates for Pender County Sheriff are competing in the 2018 Republican Primary Election; the winner, chosen May 8, will face off against Democrat Lawrence Fennell.
Current Sheriff Carson Smith has served four terms, but will not run for reelection; he will instead run to replace Representative Chris Millis, who stepped down from his position in September.
The Pender County Sheriff oversees an office in charge of nearly a thousand square miles with manpower that has, historically, been limited in part due to Pender’s relatively low population density. Five times the size of New Hanover County, Pender has about one fifth the population.
In order to run, candidates must have established Pender County residency 90 days before filing. In the November election, one candidate will be elected to a four-year term and paid a $101,137 salary, plus health benefits. Arrests made by the Pender County Sheriff’s deputies are tried in the 5th District Court by the office of District Attorney Ben David.
Editor’s note: At the time of publication, five of the candidates had responded to questions. Responses from remaining candidates will be published if and when they are received.
The questions
School safety is on everyone’s mind. How would you address those concerns, both in schools and in the community?
Creating a program to involve the public and SROs (school resource officers) and the Sheriff’s Office as a whole. I would like to create an open line of communication between the Sheriff’s Office and the public. Also, I would like to send SROs to more training, such as SWAT/tactical training and some form of medical training. I’d like to include teachers in the same training.
The Pender County Sheriff’s Office has a lot of ground to cover – do you feel the office has sufficient manpower to do so? What is your plan to utilize the office’s resources to the fullest without neglecting either the eastern or western part of the county?
I do not, the response time is delayed by manpower. I feel that if there is a shortage of manpower, things could potentially get overlooked along with safety issues for the citizens and LEO (law enforcement officers).
I would like to apply for federal funding to implement more positions in the Sheriff’s Office. Also, I will look at the budget to see if there is anywhere we could cut cost to ensure that we have more personal–such as sending animal services staff to BLET (Basic Law Enforcement Training).
What experience do you have handling a government budget?
None.
What is your vision for how the Pender County Sheriff’s Office will handle the opioid crisis?
I would like to implement more K-9 units into Sheriff’s Office operations. I would target all narcotic violations, and increase our narcotic manpower to better help the opioid issues. I would like to give my cyber detectives more training to focus on internet sales of illegal narcotics. As Pender County touches seven other counties, I would like to have cross-sworn personnel from other counties to assist each other. I would make sure our K-9 units, traffic units and vice and narcotics attend similar or the same training. Lastly, I would welcome federal operations.
When, if ever, was the last time you had a hands-on role in a criminal case (i.e. from arrest, to the magistrate, to court, and giving testimony)?
April 17, 2018. I currently work in active law enforcement every day.
Do you feel that arrests made by the Pender County Sheriff’s Office are adequately pursued in court by prosecutors in the District Attorney’s office?
Yes.
The sheriff is a law enforcement agent, but also an administrator. Have you ever managed an organization of 50 or more individuals – if so, when? What was your management strategy?
No, I have not managed 50 or more individuals at one time. However, I have mentored several people and have supervised several people. I have assumed the role of watch commander, which involved supervising 15-20 deputies at a time. Watch commander involves prioritizing call volume and focus points in high crime areas. It also requires delegating tasks, assigning deputies within the sectors in the county, notifying the chain of command of major incidents, and establishing incident command post(s).
The sheriff must also delegate effectively, especially to a second in command. Who do you plan to put in that role and what are his/her credentials?
I have paid attention for someone for this position, but I have not chosen anyone at this moment.
Has your personal or professional conduct ever been seriously called in question in the course of any employment?
No.
