Sheriff Mark Buchanan
Guest Writer
The calendar year 2024 turned out to be a busy one for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Combined research through Clay County 911 Dispatch and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, yielded some notable statistics for 2024. A complete listing of all statistical data from these sources is too voluminous to list here but some of the more notable information will follow.
Clay County 911 Director, Kevin Sellers, was kind enough to research and assemble a detailed listing of documented calls involving the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for 2024. A total of 8,114 calls in 2024 involved Clay County Officers, averaging 22 calls/activities per day. It should be noted that the responses to these calls varied wildly as to how much time officers had to devote to their initial response and/or follow-up. Calls such as 911 hang-ups, welfare checks, house/business alarms, etc. usually resulted in an officer simply traveling to the location and checking to make sure everything was in order. Calls such as sexual and other assaults, break-ins, child abuses, death investigations, etc. might well result in multiple officers and investigators having to spend many hours if not days responding to and completing subsequent investigations.
It should also be noted that Clay County Officers are also dispatched to a good many EMS as well as fire and rescue calls. Officers are often able to more quickly respond and assess developing situations relating to these calls. Likewise, officers also respond to most all the vehicle accidents even though the N.C. Highway Patrol ultimately carries responsibility for these investigations. Traffic control often ties Clay County Officers up while at crash scenes. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is proud to have excellent working relationships with all our first responder partners.
Notable calls for service the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received and responded to in 2024 include:
• 212 motor vehicle accidents.
• 116 hangup calls to 911.
• 230 animal complaints.
• 237 mandated animal follow-ups.
• 45 animal welfare checks.
• 82 calls to assist other agencies.
• 59 breaking and entering.
• 58 business alarms.
• 171 careless and reckless drivers.
• 32 child custody complaints.
• 42 civil complaints/property disputes.
• 97 civil standbys — keep the peace.
• 78 commercial alarms.
• 52 communicating threats.
• 28 discharge of firearms.
• 103 miscellaneous disturbances.
• 100 domestic physical/assaults.
• 79 domestic verbal complaints.
• 402 extra patrol area requests.
• 245 follow-up investigation responses.
• 158 U.S. Forest Service patrols.
• 63 reports of fraud/scams.
• 38 funeral escorts.
• 48 harassment/stalking.
• 27 involuntary commitments.
• 35 juvenile complaints.
• 91 larcenies.
• 25 Lifeline notifications.
• 68 livestock in the road.
• 32 missing, lost, runaway calls.
• 62 psychiatric/behavioral calls.
• 167 residence alarm calls.
• 193 security checks.
• 12 sexual assaults.
• 82 stranded motorists.
• 290 suspicious people/activities.
• 193 suspicious vehicles.
• 728 vehicle stops.
• 310 sheriff’s office walk-ins.
• 275 welfare checks — OK, distressed, deceased.
During 2024 there were 339 bookings into the Clay County Detention Center on a total of 419 criminal charges. Some of those arrested were brought in by the N.C. Highway Patrol and other agencies. There was a total of 64 drug related arrests made and booked into the detention center for 98 individual charges in 2024. It should also be noted that these numbers do not reflect all the people who have been charged with a crime in Clay County. Many people, who were cooperative and/or were not a flight risk, are charged with their crimes by way of criminal summons or are released on their own personal recognizance. When charged by a criminal summons and such, a person does not enter the detention center but promises to show up on their assigned court date.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office consists of 22 sworn officers, 15 detention officers, a receptionist and three administrators. Generally speaking, there is a chief who manages three school resource officers, three investigators, 11 patrol officers and three special operations officers. There is a chief who coordinates training, manages 15 detention officers as well as the four office personnel. Regardless of assigned positions, every employee at the sheriff’s office regularly steps up and fills in when and where they are needed. The detention center, however, is unique in that it lacks little flexibility regarding required staffing. It requires a minimum of three detention officers to operate 24/7/365, with no exceptions.
The Clay County inmate work crew was reinitiated in early 2023. They have supplemented the efforts of Clay County’s building and grounds maintenance department, the N.C. Department of Transportation, firewood preparation for those in need, etc. They have been busy in and around county buildings as well as roadside litter pick up, mowing, landscaping, tree removal, etc. The inmate work crew has also helped the Hinton Rural Life Center with firewood retrieval and processing for those in need of heat during the winter months. The Hinton Center usually averages 700 pickup truck loads of firewood given out to those in need. In 2024, the inmate work crew worked a total of 3,108.25 man-hours in completing these community-oriented tasks. At a rate of $20 per hour, this would amount to $62,165 in labor costs by inmates that have volunteered for this program.
Constitutional obligations of all N.C. Sheriff’s Offices include process service and courtroom security. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office has a “Special Operations” Division that is tasked with the service of criminal and civil related processes, two manned courtroom security, animal control and evidence room management. Clay County holds a lot more court than they did even a few years ago, probably averaging 2-3 per week. The total number of civil processes served in 2024 was 345 with many of these requiring multiple attempts to locate recipients who did not want to be found.
Under former Sheriff Vic Davis, a “Sheriff’s Auxiliary” was formed. The auxiliary is made up of dedicated citizens who volunteer to assist the sheriff’s office in many ways. They are a true force multiplier and invaluable to the daily function of the sheriff’s office. During 2024 a citizen’s academy was held for the first time for new auxiliary members since COVID. Most existing auxiliary members also elected to go through the academy for a second time. At current, auxiliary membership and participation are at an all-time high. Members man the court ordered entry way to the courthouse; provide house checks for vacant homes; provide traffic control, hospitality and security during special events; provide receptionist duties and in general, serve as ambassadors to folks on behalf of the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office heavily relies on the 19 members of the auxiliary on a daily basis.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025 is $3,779,775. This is very much in line with proportion to population as compared to the other six westernmost counties in North Carolina. Clay County ranked third in funding as related to the other six counties. The more heavily populated counties, with multiple police departments, lagged in funding due to law enforcement being provided by other entities other their sheriff offices. With this being said, the citizens of Clay County should be grateful to their board of commissioners who understand the need to fully support their sole law enforcement agency.