Here Comes the Sheriff, Sheriff Clarence Birkhead of Durham, NC.
Durham County Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead announced the creation of the “Sheriff’s Community Advisory Board” (CAB) and encouraged local residents to participate in this new initiative to better connect the local community with law enforcement.
“During my campaign to become Sheriff, I promised our office would follow a model of transparency, engagement and accountability,” said Sheriff Birkhead. “The mechanism to truly fulfill this promise is the Sheriff’s Community Advisory Board. Applications are now open for all Durham County residents to participate and serve. I look forward building upon the good working relationships our office has established with all segments of the Durham community. This initiative will build trust between law enforcement and the community we serve.”
At a press conference, Sheriff Birkhead stressed CAB will not follow the model of citizen review panels which are commonplace at other law enforcement agencies across the United States, whereby those Boards review appeals by citizens who file complaints on dispositions imposed by the Chief of Police or his/her designee. What makes this initiative unique to Durham County is that CAB will become the forum to discuss concerns, needs and offer solutions in order to create safer communities. “No one knows better what’s going on than the people we serve,” Sheriff Birkhead said. “CAB will build enduring partnerships by building trust between law enforcement and the community.”
