My viewpoint: I strongly believe that this issue has not been looked into closely enough, and that there is much more objective information to consider before drawing any emphatic conclusion.   In my opinion, whether it is more sensible to use our tax dollars to continue our contract with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, or to use those same monies to establish our own localized Police Department, is yet to be determined.  One thing I will say, however, is that it is imperative to separate fact from fiction, as well as biases on either side, in order to come to a truly objective and reasonable conclusion.

Putting aside biases and seeking and disseminating accurate information is vital if one truly wants to determine what is the best law enforcement arrangement for the citizens of Indian Trail…not for the interests of the sheriff’s department, not for any particular council member, not for the sake of friendly relationships, etc.  With all integrity, we must do our due diligence, and we must be committed to the taxpayers of Indian Trail, as we continue to grow and exceed our current 25,000+ residents.

We presently have one study to look at which was conducted, for free,  by a group of graduate students at UNC-C.  While it certainly is interesting to browse and learn from, if we are going to use a study from which to draw final conclusions on something as important as public safety, there is no doubt in my mind that we must have an independent study conducted by a law enforcement professional consultant who is experienced in law enforcement and skilled in conducting law enforcement analyses.

Something as important as our public safety should not be based soley on this UNC-C graduate school study which ultimately was conducted by folks with no professional law enforcement experience…with all due respect to their efforts.  My intent is not to discount anyone’s efforts, but I think one can understand where I am coming from on a professional level, and I would like to revisit this topic if elected to the council.  There are many retired law enforcement professionals who are now professional consultants who understand the complexities and intricacies of law enforcement analyses.

In conclusion, does this mean I am 100% in favor of establishing a Police Department? No, it does not. Although the message being portrayed out there (in this hyper-politicized world) is that if you are not 100% convinced that the UCSO contract is the best arrangement, and that the UNC-C study “proves” it, then you MUST be 100% FOR a police department. And that is very short-sighted, no doubt.  To be clear, I am 100% in favor of visiting this topic in an open-minded and objective manner, if elected to the Indian Trail Town Council.  Speaking to other local and recently established police departments, breaking down our public safety budget relative to manpower/assets/services/dollars spent, are some of the areas to visit.   (read more about Law Enforcement in Indian Trail here…)