NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Republican Matt Rhodes is running for New Hanover County Sheriff.
Port City Daily has sent a questionnaire to every candidate running in local elections in the tri-county region. The paywall is also 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.
Rhodes’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.
Support local, independent journalism through a monthly subscription or consider signing up for our free newsletter, Wilmington Wire, to get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
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?
Matt Rhodes (MR): New Hanover County is ground zero for the opioid addiction epidemic in North Carolina. This has increased violent crime in the area. When I was on the New Hanover County Juvenile Crime Prevention Board, the issue of addiction was always on the meeting agenda. Treatment was discussed but in many cases it is not successful. Even after treatment relapse is very common. When a person becomes addicted, it is a gateway to criminal behavior to feed that drug habit. If the addiction began as a result of an actual injury with a prescription from a doctor, and they can no longer receive refills, they will turn to the street for stolen prescription drugs or black tar heroin. At this point the criminal behavior can begin and the person you once knew is actually a very dangerous individual because the need to feed that habit is overwhelming and friends and family have been attacked and in some cases killed because the addict is not given money to purchase drugs. Stealing and the actual use of one’s body in a sexual trade are very common.
Organized crime has set up shop and New Hanover County. There is big money to be made from drug trafficking and as a result, we have major league gangs and cartels dealing in our home. People even come from other parts of the county to New Hanover County to make major drug deals. The increase in violence is the result. We have to decrease the flow of these drugs coming into the area and stop the local dealers. The drug task force needs the financial support to expand their numbers as well as the best training and equipment. Most residents are not aware of this problem and that it gets worse daily. This is a priority of my platform.
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?
MR: The perceived uptick in crime in New Hanover County has become reality. I am from here and I do not recognize my home anymore. Violent crime acts, especially murder, were very rare. Now you dare not leave your door open anymore because you’re asking for a potential violent encounter with an intruder. It has become very common for shootings to take place and citizens have become desensitized to the shootings that in many cases result in a homicide. The citizens know this area is dangerous and this is why you have record numbers of firearms sales locally. As a professional firearm instructor, people tell me they have just bought their first hand gun because New Hanover County is now very dangerous. I know that the root cause of the violent crime is the drug trafficking that has taken over my home and yours.
PCD: New Hanover County is spending nearly $40 million on a new anti-violence department. What are your thoughts on the action plan?
MR: The $40 million anti-violence department is all about crime prevention therapies that are not always successful. The first time I heard of this was a few days after there was a shooting at New Hanover High School. The county commissioners wanted to use the money from the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to fund studies on gun violence and preventative practices with those engaging in criminal activity as well as those considered to be at risk for criminal behavior. There is a need for these therapies and intervention, especially in the case of a student who is bullied to the point that they may lash out violently. There is also another side to this equation. You have to look at the root cause of the violence in our area. In many cases, is a drug related crime and you need to make sure the drug task force is funded with financial resources for training, the best equipment and the ability to hire more officers for this division.
PCD: How should the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office plan for population growth? What is most needed currently?
MR: New Hanover County is the second smallest county in North Carolina, but it is highly populated. The coastal area is a very desirable location to live. It is for this reason that people will continue to move here and commute from other counties to make a living. With more people, you will have more crime and that has to be planned for.
There has been a tremendous increase in both drug and human trafficking throughout New Hanover County. To prevent and stop these crimes, the drug task force as well as vice and narcotics divisions need to be expanded, well funded and excellently trained to handle an increase in crime with a continued increase in population.
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?
MR: Law enforcement is under attack. It has become common to hear of an ambush on anyone wearing a badge. Every time an officer puts on their uniform. They are putting themselves at risk, not just from the standpoint of protecting and serving the community, but from targeted attacks against them because they wear a badge.
It is for this reason that many officers are taking early retirement or looking for other ways to make a living. This is a serious safety concern, because without law enforcement society will fall.
Many offers users locally tell me that they feel that the administration does not have their backs if they get in a life and death situation, even if the use of lethal force is found to be justified. One officer told me that when they get a call, they take their time because they don’t want to be the first on the scene, fearing they became part of a video that is distorted making them the bad guy. You can’t blame them for feeling this way.
As sheriff of New Hanover County I would make it clear that you do your job to the best of your ability and if you have to defend yourself or the public and you follow the law that there will be no rush to judgment. An investigation will take place and if procedure was followed, that deputy has nothing to worry about and they will have my full support. If a deputy is afraid to do their job, society becomes much more dangerous.
The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department for this reason is having trouble recruiting new deputies. You need to be very clear as Sheriff that you will be supported as a deputy of New Hanover County. I would start young in the recruiting process. I would go to the schools and speak to the children about the role of police in our community and affirm that the protection of the citizens is very important and that maybe you can help fill that role. I would speak on the importance of a good education and that certain behavior can disqualify you from a position that you want. This would be very good public relations in regards to building trust from the community.
Another avenue of new recruits is from people who might have retired from the military, or even another law enforcement agency that want a second career. Their abilities can be used to serve the needs of the citizens as a newly hired deputy of New Hanover County.
Lastly, I would look at getting better pay and benefits for our deputies. If we want the best you must be willing to pay for it. And that is a good use of our citizens tax dollars.
PCD: What can and should be done to improve relations between law enforcement and historically marginalized populations?
MR: There are many ethnicities and some are not very trusting of law enforcement. That being said, we are all part of one race, and that is the human race. Violent crime in New Hanover County does not discriminate. It does not care what color you are, or if you are rich or poor. In order to stop the violent crime all citizens must work with law enforcement community and trust must be the foundation of that relationship. I plan to talk with the leaders and people of both the African American and Hispanic American communities to listen to their concerns, but at the same time, reassure them that my goal as the newly elected sheriff is to make the county safe for all people.
PCD: How should we be addressing the opioid crisis? What does and does not work from your point of view?
MR: The opioid crisis has become a drug trafficking public safety issue in New Hanover County that threatens all our citizens. It does not discriminate as anyone can become hooked on prescription opioids or street opioids, sometimes called black tar heroin. It attracts criminal elements who have set up shop here in New Hanover County. This is the reason for an increase in shootings that become an increase in homicides locally. The dealing is not only on the streets, but in our public school system. This will continue to put our children at risk and the violence will continue to escalate.
The message needs to be clear that prescription pain medicine is very addictive, and it can happen very fast. This message is for both children and adults. Once someone is addicted, treatment is an option but not always successful. Relapse is a common occurrence. So you must look at the source of the problem. The flow and dealing of the drugs must be stopped. The best way to do this is an expanded drug task force as well as vice and narcotics divisions to deal with the criminals who have come to New Hanover County to make a fortune dealing their drugs. My goal as newly elected sheriff is to make New Hanover County known not as ground zero for the opioid epidemic, but the county that defeated it.
PCD: Is there an additional issue or issues you think need(s) to be addressed during your term, should you win?
MR: Safety in the New Hanover County Public Schools is a top priority for me. We have seen a mass exodus of children from the public school system and more families have chosen home or private school as an option. Some parents said this because they were not pleased with the curriculum. But when I speak to parents, the first concern is their child being safe. And they felt that New Hanover County schools were not safe and this is why they left.
At the start of the school year, there was a shooting in the tunnel a New Hanover High School. It was a miracle that no students were killed. There was a video that has since been pulled and it shows this horrific event but it also shows no authority personnel in the tunnel at the time of the shooting. There was no adult to intervene or move students away from this threat. Parents have told me that neither the school system or Sheriff’s Department has phoned up in regards to this school shooting. Parents are very concerned for this their children’s safety and they asked me how they can get permission for this child to have a bulletproof shield placed in their backpack.
Another issue is the bathroom being the center of potential violence and bullying in school. Parents have sent me emails telling me that their child will not use the bathroom because that is where students wait to attack another student or the drug deals take place or even sexual acts between students. Parents say as a result of this my child will not use the bathroom and in some cases a bladder infection or bowel issue follows. This is unacceptable. A child cannot learn if they are scared.
The other issue that must be addressed is the sexual assaults by New Hanover County school staff on students. This has been going on for over 20 years and in some cases allegations have been made by parents in the administration and the issue is ignored. And in some cases, the teacher or staff member is transferred to another school where they continue this behavior unchecked. There are many who have done this and now 20 years later, after abuse to many children, they are finally arrested and convicted. Parents and journalists call it a culture of cover up. They want to know the sheriff’s department was aware of these allegations a were they investigated to see if any proof existed. One parent asked me why did you take 20 years to catch these sex offenders? So many children could have been saved from the predators but they were not.
The problem is so bad that a documentary filmmaker came to New Hanover County and made a film about the sexual abuse in the school system. Kerry David made the film “Open Secret” all about the crimes and potential coverup culture. This is how bad the problem is. The current administration has been in charge for roughly the last 12 years and they are responsible for the safety of the students.
We have 45 public schools and every one needs to be a safe environment for each student. School needs to be one of the safest places a child can be but as of right now, in New Hanover County, it is not. I want to clean them all up and put an end to the violence and safety issues. I want parents to know these issues are being dealt with and communication about it will be available. As far as the sexual abuse that has taken place I unfortunately cannot do anything about the last 20 years of criminal abuse. However, I can prevent it in the future. As Sheriff I will push for every New Hanover County school employee to be background checked. To my knowledge there was no requirement in order to work for New Hanover County Schools. This is one step towards student safety. Also if any credible allegations arise about a staff member and a student it will be investigated by New Hanover County law enforcement first, and if any credible evidence exists an investigation will follow. If there’s evidence that proves a crime was taking place it will be handled by the law enforcement community, not the school administration. I also want to make sure that the student and parents can contact me with any safety concerns and that I will always make myself available. There is no greater responsibility of the sheriff than to protect the innocence and safety of children.
Have tips or comments? Email [email protected]
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
