Thursday, March 28, 2024

2022 Primary Election: Sheriff Ed​ McMahon runs for fourth term

NEW HANOVER COUNTY ⁠— Longtime New Hanover County Sheriff Ed​ McMahon, a Democrat, is striving to keep his position this election year. He was first voted into the job in 2009.

Port City Daily has sent a questionnaire to every candidate running in local elections in the tri-county region. The paywall is dropped on profiles to help voters make informed decisions ahead of casting their ballots.

As a reminder, the early voting period runs from Apr. 28 to May 14. The voter registration deadline is Apr. 22. Voters may partake in same-day registration throughout the two-week early voting period (check if your registration is active at your current address).

Primary Election Day is May 17. Voters will choose which candidates from their registered party they want to move forward in the formal election. Those who are registered as unaffiliated can choose which party’s primary they want to vote in.

McMahon’s stances on issues are discussed below. All answers are included in full and the candidate’s opinions and statements are not a reflection of Port City Daily. Responses are edited only for grammar, spelling and clarity.

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Port City Daily (PCD): Where can the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office improve in making the county a safe place for all? How would you address the gaps?

EM: As your sheriff, I have worked very hard for the past 13 years to reduce crime in New Hanover County.

In the past seven years, crime in the unincorporated areas of our county has decreased by 41%. We have increased our partnerships with the Wilmington Police Department and our federal agencies to assist with the gang and drug violence.

We have increased our efforts and partnerships in dealing with the opioid addiction challenges. We have and are in the process of increasing our school resource officers and our Elements unit to keep our schools safe. 

We will continue expanding community policing strategies through public/private organizational partnerships.

We will increase the exchange of information with our citizens through the development and use of technology and media platforms, and will continue to modernize this agency with the latest tools necessary to effectively protect and serve our community.

My promise is to continue to utilize every resource to keep our community safe.

PCD: There is a perceived uptick in crime in New Hanover County and, specifically, Wilmington. What do you believe is the cause of this perception?

EM: My primary responsibility is for the unincorporated areas of New Hanover County, in which I am funded for by the Commissioners. As far as inside of the Wilmington city limits, we have partnered with the city police department to add deputies to the Downtown Task Force, the Housing Task Force, the Helicopter Unit and the Mobile Field Force, who are assigned to the highest crime areas inside the Wilmington city limits. These task forces have been beneficial in making arrests and keeping the community safer.

As your sheriff, I am committed to helping change the false perception that crime is up, when in reality, crime in the unincorporated areas of New Hanover County is down 41% in the past seven years and violent crime alone is down 17% in the past year.

As far as changing the perception within our community, I would encourage the media to report and highlight the great work that our men and women in law enforcement do everyday to keep our community safe.

PCD: New Hanover County is spending nearly $40 million on a new anti-violence department. What are your thoughts on the action plan?

EM: As your sheriff, I am always for programs that have the potential of keeping our community safer. I have limited knowledge of the inner working of this program because it is purposely not law enforcement-based. I am aware that programs similar to this have had success in other communities.

PCD: How should the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office plan for population growth? What is most needed currently?

EM: As our population grows, I will continue to work with the county manager’s office and the commissioners to make sure we have the continued ability to respond to any and all the needs of our community. The sheriff’s office has a strategic plan which identifies our goals, objectives and strategies to keep our community safe. As our communities needs have grown during the past 13 years, we have modernized the sheriff’s office through training, equipment and technology.

PCD: Law enforcement agencies are having trouble recruiting and retaining in the current hiring climate. How would you ensure the county is obtaining the best deputies for the area?

EM: My requirement for all sheriff’s office employees is to be professional, responsible, accountable and have the utmost integrity. As your sheriff, I will continue striving to maintain a workforce which reflects and respects the diversity of our community through recruitment practices and training opportunities.

We have a very thorough recruitment process which includes a psychological evaluation, physical fitness evaluation, a polygraph, along with a background check. We have been very fortunate and are not experiencing the amount of personnel shortages that many other agencies are facing. 

PCD: What can and should be done to improve relations between law enforcement and historically marginalized populations?

EM: Here at your sheriff’s office, we will continue to use innovative diversion programs to keep individuals who do not need to be in our jails from incarceration.

In November of 2019, I began a program looking daily at every inmates’ current and past charges. Through this oversite we are able to work with the judicial system and release non-violent individuals who do not pose a threat to our community.

This affords these individuals the opportunity for a successful re-entry into society. Since its inception, this program has saved 49 thousand inmate incarceration days and saved county taxpayers approximately $5 million. We have recently brought on a Latino victim advocate position and have requested a social media specialist position for our upcoming budget which begins July 1st.  

My commitment is to continue modernizing this agency with the latest tools necessary to effectively protect and serve our community. 

PCD: How should we be addressing the opioid crisis? What does and does not work from your point of view?

EM: To determine what does and does not work in the opioid epidemic is difficult. The reason for this is because what works for one person may not work for the next person. So much depends on the individual person and their particular situation.

I am committed to helping those that are addicted and arresting those that are dealing this poison and taking lives. We have found that fentanyl is being substituted in the place of heroin, at times totally replacing the heroin. A vice and narcotics detective is assigned to every overdose in the unincorporated areas of our county. When a person overdoses and survives, they are immediately provided assistance by both medical and mental health experts. The detective then begins a thorough investigation to determine who distributed this poison.

We have charged multiple dealers in the past with death by distribution. We will continue to aggressively apprehend and charge all dealers through this investigative process.

PCD: Is there an additional issue or issues you think need(s) to be addressed during your term, should you win?

EM: There is always room for improvement. As your sheriff, I am committed to continue facing challenges and turning them into opportunities. I will continue building on the trust we have worked so hard to establish. I am committed to building bridges within our entire community and holding our deputies to the highest standards that will promote the continued trust and confidence in our agency. Continuing to build a culture where personnel and residents are respected, valued and understood is a top priority.


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Alexandria Sands
Alexandria Sands
Alexandria Sands is a journalist covering New Hanover County and education. Before Port City Daily, she reported for the award-winning State Port Pilot in Southport. She graduated from UNC Charlotte and wrote for several Charlotte publications while there. When not writing, Williams is most likely in the gym, reading or spending time with her Golden Pyrenees. Reach her at alexandria@localdailymedia.com or on Twitter @alexsands_

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