Halifax County sheriff urges major staffing boosts and pay increases as deputies work ‘with less’

Sheriff Tyree Davis told the Halifax County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 6 that his office is critically short staffed and asked the board to consider phased increases in personnel and a pay adjustment to retain deputies.

Davis told the board the sheriff’s office currently has seven deputies on patrol — the same number he had in 2003 — and is down nine positions overall. He said deputies regularly cover municipalities’ calls for service because smaller police departments lack manpower. “We do more with less every day,” Davis said, adding that deputies answer many calls inside Roanoke Rapids, Enfield, Littleton, Weldon and Scotland Neck when local agencies are short.

The sheriff requested a multi-year personnel plan: four patrol deputies, two sergeants, four detention officers and four non‑sworn support positions in staged budget years, and he asked for a 15% across‑the‑board pay increase for patrol and an 8% increase for detention staff. If approved, Davis said the patrol starting pay would rise to about $54,038 and detention pay to about $46,632 under his proposal. He also asked the county to retain current performance-evaluation dates rather than reset them if the pay changes are adopted.

A cadre of municipal police chiefs — including Chief Jerry Shoemaker of Enfield, Chief Tommy Parker (former Scott’s Hill/Scotland Neck chief), Chief Donald Duke of Louisburg and Chief Chris Davis of Weldon — spoke in support of the sheriff’s appeal, citing regular operational assistance from the sheriff’s office and describing a sustained operational partnership. “We cannot combat crime and be successful without continued assistance of the sheriff’s office,” Shoemaker said of the mutual aid and monthly chiefs’ meetings Sheriff Davis convenes.

Board members said they appreciated the detail and the urgency. Commissioner Warren asked for the sheriff’s written breakdown (which Davis provided during the meeting) and suggested staff prepare cost estimates. County Manager Tisha Denton said the manager’s office will “crunch those numbers” and return with fiscal options. Denton and several commissioners also noted hiring pipelines — including high‑school and community‑college partnerships and the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program — as areas to coordinate with the sheriff’s recruitment plan.

Davis also described operational strains unrelated to pay: long transports for involuntary commitment (IVC) patients since the county’s psychiatric inpatient capacity changed, court‑security demands that increase the number of required bailiffs, bank-run and evidence‑transport duties and frequent mutual‑aid deployments across neighboring counties. He said the sheriff’s office performs over 110 county transports per month and that the absence of a local “fourth floor” mental‑health unit forces officers to transport people long distances for treatment.

Commissioners expressed sympathy and support but did not vote on spending at the meeting. The county manager said the board will review the requested increases during upcoming budget work and asked Sheriff Davis to provide any additional materials needed to run cost scenarios. Denton also raised alternative measures to ease pressure, such as privately contracted transport services for IVCs, and said the county would explore those options.

The board did not take formal action on staffing or pay during the Oct. 6 meeting; commissioners made several requests for follow‑up information and asked the manager to return with fiscal scenarios and implementation options.

Ending

Sheriff Davis left the meeting with a clear message repeated by municipal chiefs: the sheriff’s office is a frequent first responder in town and country calls alike, and leaders said they will press for options to recruit and retain deputies. The county manager said she will run the sheriff’s requested compensation scenarios and return to the board with cost and implementation recommendations.