Durham residents urge commissioners to reject $16 million sheriff training facility and expand HEART unarmed response

Dozens of residents urged the Durham County Board of Commissioners not to approve a proposed renovation and expansion of the Durham County Sheriff's Office training site, and to redirect funding toward the HEART co-responder program, housing and mental-health services.

Speakers at the meeting's public-comment period repeatedly called the planned bond-funded project an inappropriate use of county dollars while homelessness and unmet mental-health needs persist. Jennifer Carroll, representing the Durham Community Safety and Wellness Task Force, told the board the task force "unanimously selected the expansion of the HEART program into the county and into Durham Public Schools as the single most pressing public safety issue in our county." Several other speakers urged commissioners to prioritize HEART, restorative justice programs and school supports over construction of a new or expanded firearms range.

Proponents of HEART said the model diverts nonviolent crisis calls away from armed officers and preserves county resources. Nicholas Greber Grace of the Durham People's Alliance urged commissioners and Sheriff Mike Birkhead to "work collaboratively on a comprehensive approach to public safety" and to consider countywide dispatch consolidation so calls can be routed to HEART when appropriate.

Speakers opposing the project argued the facility would enlarge weapons-training capacity and cited national debates about large-scale training sites that critics call "cop city" projects. Several asked commissioners to withhold support until alternatives such as HEART are fully planned and funded countywide. Many public speakers said county capital funds would better meet community needs if spent on housing, school transportation or immediate services for residents who are unhoused.

Sheriff Birkhead told the board he supports conversations about HEART and co-responder models. "I've had these conversations for the better part of 2 and a half years about HEART and how I support HEART," he said, adding that scaling a co-responder program requires decisions about staffing and training. County staff and commissioners agreed to continue talks; the county manager said the board and sheriff's office would return with potential next steps and timeline for evaluating HEART expansion.

The training-facility proposal remains an item on the county's capital agenda. County staff described the current request as a capital project amendment to appropriate limited-obligation bond funds and a guaranteed maximum price contract for construction management; the request appears as agenda item 240645 on the consent/capital list and will be finalized at a future business meeting. Commissioners asked for more detail on the project's scope, expected operational costs and whether any revenues from lead-recovery or occasional outside-use rental would be returned to operations.

The public-comment period and subsequent discussion made clear the community is split: advocates for the sheriff said improved facilities and safer, modern training conditions support recruitment and retention; opponents said public-safety goals are better achieved by investing in unarmed crisis response, affordable housing and jail reforms. Commissioners asked staff and the sheriff to continue the conversation and to return to the board with more specific financial and programmatic information.

Votes and next steps: The work session included a preview of the capital request; no formal vote was taken at this meeting. The item remains scheduled for consideration at the board's upcoming regular meeting when the consent agenda is considered.