Tony Durden for Sheriff

Tony Durden answers questions about his campaign to serve as Caswell County Sheriff.

Tony Durden provided the following responses to questions about his campaign to serve as Caswell County Sheriff.

Please describe your educational background, including any relevant credentials or specialized training.

Graduate, NC Sheriff’s Leadership Institute
Graduate, National Sheriff’s Leadership Institute
Graduate, National Sheriff’s Detention Institute
Graduate, National Jail Administrator Leadership Institute
Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate
Advanced Service Award Recipient
Associate Degree in Criminal Justice
FBI Leadership Training (LEEDA Trilogy)
Graduate, Supervisory Management Program – NC School of Government
Graduate, Management of Small Law Enforcement Agency – Southern Police Institute
School Resource Officer Training courses
Thousands of documented law enforcement training hours

Please describe your professional background, highlighting specific roles or responsibilities that have prepared you to be successful in the position you are seeking.

I have proudly served as the Sheriff of Caswell County since 2017.

I am well versed in the operations of the Caswell County Sheriff's Office having moved through the ranks from rookie deputy to Sheriff, serving in various capacities over the years that are unique to a Sheriff's Office.

I bring more than 30 years law enforcement experience to the table and have completed thousands of hours of training working in or supervising all of the divisions at the Sheriff's Office.

Handled the day-to-day operations of the Detention center as a Lieutenant and then as Captain
Served as team coordinator for the construction of the new Law Enforcement & Detention Center
Served as Captain over the civil division which handles all civil processes for the county
Diligently worked in the civil office before promotion to supervise the division
Promoted to Captain over courthouse security after working my way up in the division
Worked as a patrol deputy in Caswell County after graduation from Basic Law Enforcement Training
Served as School Resource Officer
Holds dual certifications as a detention officer and law enforcement officer

Please describe any current or previous military experience.

Veteran of United States Navy-Desert Storm Veteran

Please describe your connection to, and vision for, Caswell County.

I believe in treating everyone as someone no matter of their public standing, race, creed or color. We serve as a Sheriff's Office for all the people.

I believe in hard-work and determination.

I believe in doing what is right even when no one is looking.

I feel transparency and taking ownership of actions or inactions are key roles.

Please describe your involvement, whether volunteer service or membership, with community, non-profit, or service-based organizations, noting the difference between current and past involvement.

Former Coach for youth football with Caswell County Schools as well as Recreation Department.

Please describe any board service or committee assignments, noting the difference between current and past service.

Board Member of NCJAA (North Carolina Jail Administrators' Association)

Former Commissioner with the NC Human Relations Commission

Member of Burton Chapel Baptist Church

What do you believe is currently the greatest strength of the Caswell County Sheriff's Office and how would you build upon that strength if elected?

I believe the greatest strength of the Caswell County Sheriff’s Office is its people and the trust we have built with the community. A sheriff’s office is only as strong as the men and women who wear the badge, and I am proud of the dedication, professionalism, and commitment our deputies, detention officers, investigators, SROs, and support staff demonstrate every day.

If re-elected, I would continue building on that strength by investing in our people through training, recruitment, retention, modern equipment, and strong community relationships. We must give our officers the tools and knowledge they need to do their jobs safely and effectively while holding ourselves to the highest standards of character and accountability.

Most importantly, I would continue to make community partnership a priority. Law enforcement cannot protect a community by itself—we have to work together with our citizens, schools, churches, businesses, and other agencies. My goal is to build on what we have accomplished, keep moving the Sheriff’s Office forward, and make sure Caswell County continues to have a Sheriff’s Office that its citizens can trust and be proud of.

Full time SRO's at all county schools
Security and Safety training for Places of Worship
Community Meetings several times annually throughout county
Over $29,000 has been given to school board from money seizures
Implemented Sheriff App to accurately keep citizens informed
MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) Program for inmates
GED program/tablets for inmates
Rifle plated vests for officers
Body cams for officers
Acquired M-ATV all-terrain military vehicle through government program
Enhanced Radio Communications
Established new shooting range
Have been awarded DVSA (Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault) grant, Grant from Department of Justice and Tech grant during tenure as Sheriff

What do you believe is the greatest challenge currently facing the Caswell County Sheriff’s Office and how would you address that challenge if elected?

I believe the greatest challenge currently facing the Caswell County Sheriff’s Office is maintaining a strong, well-trained, and properly equipped law enforcement agency while continuing to meet the growing demands placed on our office.

Law enforcement today is more challenging than it was even a few years ago. We have to recruit and retain good officers, provide them with the training and equipment they need, and make sure we have the resources to protect our citizens safely and effectively. At the same time, the Sheriff’s Office has many responsibilities beyond answering calls for service—including the detention center, schools, courts, civil process, investigations, narcotics enforcement, and community outreach.

If re-elected, I will continue addressing this challenge by investing in our people first. We must recruit individuals of good character, provide ongoing professional training, and work toward competitive pay and benefits so that we can retain experienced personnel. I will also continue pursuing state and federal grants and working with the County Commissioners to make sure our deputies and detention officers have the vehicles, technology, communications equipment, and other resources necessary to do their jobs safely.

Most importantly, I will continue to lead with Community, Character, and Commitment. We cannot solve every problem overnight, but we can have a Sheriff’s Office that is professional, accountable, innovative, and committed to treating every citizen with dignity and respect.

My goal is simple: to keep Caswell County safe while building an agency our citizens can trust and our employees can be proud to serve.

The Sheriff has considerable discretion in how the law is enforced. Please describe the parameters that guide how you apply that discretion. Residents want to better understand the factors that influence your decision-making. What are the values, priorities, or beliefs informing your thought process? Who are the individuals or groups that you look to for guidance? How would those influences and your experience shape the performance of your duties as Sheriff?

As Sheriff, I understand that discretion is an important part of law enforcement, but it must never be confused with personal preference or favoritism. My decisions are guided first and foremost by the Constitution, North Carolina law, department policy, and the responsibility I have to treat every person fairly and equally.

When exercising discretion, I consider the seriousness of the offense, the circumstances surrounding the incident, the safety of the public and my deputies, the individual's history and behavior, and whether there are reasonable alternatives to enforcement or arrest. I also believe in using common sense. Not every situation requires the same response, and good law enforcement requires knowing when to enforce the law firmly and when circumstances call for another appropriate solution.

My priorities are public safety, professionalism, accountability, and building trust with the people we serve. I believe the Sheriff's Office should be firm when necessary, compassionate when appropriate, and consistent in every community and neighborhood in Caswell County.

I look to the law, my training, my command staff, experienced law enforcement professionals, the courts, and the people of Caswell County for guidance. Ultimately, however, the responsibility for the decisions made by the Sheriff's Office rests with me as Sheriff.

My years in law enforcement, including my experience serving in Caswell County and as Sheriff, have taught me that leadership is often about making difficult decisions while remaining calm, fair, and accountable. I will continue to use that experience to ensure that discretion is exercised responsibly not based on politics, personal relationships, or popularity, but on the law, the facts, the circumstances, and what is in the best interest of the citizens we are sworn to protect.

As an elected official, the Sheriff is hired by the voters, not the County Manager or County Commissioners. However, the Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center are governed, and funded, by the County Commissioners. Please describe your experience navigating relationships with governing boards and how you intend to work with the County Manager, Board of Commissioners, and other County departments or community partners.

As Sheriff, I understand the important distinction between the Sheriff’s constitutional and statutory responsibilities as an elected official and the County Commissioners’ responsibility for funding and governing county operations. The Sheriff is accountable to the voters, but that does not mean the Sheriff works independently of the rest of county government. Effective leadership requires communication, cooperation, and mutual respect.

During my years in law enforcement and my time serving as Sheriff, I have worked with County Commissioners, the County Manager, county departments, other law enforcement agencies, schools, emergency services, and community organizations. I have learned that disagreements will sometimes occur, particularly when dealing with budgets, staffing, equipment, and competing county needs. My approach has always been to remain professional, present the facts, explain the needs of the Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center, and work toward solutions that protect the citizens of Caswell County.

Going forward, I will continue to maintain an open line of communication with the County Manager and Board of Commissioners. I will advocate strongly for the resources my deputies, detention officers, and citizens need, while also recognizing that county resources must be balanced responsibly. I believe the best relationships are built on honesty, transparency, and keeping commitments.

I also intend to continue building strong partnerships with other county departments and community organizations. Public safety is not the responsibility of the Sheriff’s Office alone. It takes cooperation among law enforcement, emergency services, schools, county government, churches, businesses, and citizens.

My goal is simple: work together, disagree respectfully when necessary, and never allow personal or political differences to interfere with serving the people of Caswell County.

What do you believe are the primary factors driving crime in Caswell County? What role, if any, do you believe the Sheriff’s Office should play in proactively addressing those drivers?

I believe the primary factors driving crime in Caswell County are drugs, lack of economic opportunity, family instability, and the challenges that come with being a rural county. Drug activity, in particular, can contribute to theft, property crime, violence, and other offenses. At the same time, we have to recognize that crime is rarely caused by one single issue. Economic hardship, lack of opportunities for young people, education, and the breakdown of positive community support can all contribute. North Carolina’s own crime data recognizes that economic conditions, education, family conditions, population patterns, transportation, and community attitudes can influence crime.

The Sheriff's Office absolutely has a role in addressing these issues, but we cannot arrest our way out of every problem. Our responsibility is to be proactive, not simply respond after a crime has occurred. That means using good intelligence, listening to citizens, targeting drug dealers and repeat offenders, maintaining a strong presence in our communities, supporting our schools, and building relationships with young people before they become involved in the criminal justice system. Our Narcotics Division already uses information from deputies, citizens, and intelligence gathering to identify drug trafficking and street-level distribution.

I also believe the Sheriff's Office must work with schools, churches, social services, mental-health providers, businesses, and other community organizations. We should identify problems early and bring the right people to the table. Our mission is not just to enforce the law; it is also to protect people, prevent crime, and improve the quality of life in Caswell County.

Most importantly, I believe we have to protect what is good about Caswell County while confronting the problems we do have. Caswell remains a relatively low-crime county compared with the state, but that does not mean we become complacent.

As Sheriff, my job is to stay ahead of the problems, listen to our citizens, hold criminals accountable, and work with the entire community to prevent the next crime not just respond to the last one.

Strategies cannot be fully implemented without the necessary resources. A vision must be financed. Please describe how your vision might be constrained by the County budget, how those budgetary concerns shape your priorities, and the actions you believe are necessary to address those funding challenges.

Strategies cannot be fully implemented without the necessary resources, and I believe a vision must be supported by responsible funding. As Sheriff, I understand that the County has many competing needs, and I cannot simply ask for unlimited increases to the Sheriff’s Office budget. My responsibility is to make every dollar count while ensuring that public safety remains a priority.

The County budget can place limitations on staffing, competitive salaries, training, vehicles, technology, equipment, and the ability to respond to the changing needs of our community. These constraints require me to prioritize the resources that have the greatest direct impact on officer safety, employee retention, jail operations, school safety, and the services we provide to our citizens.

My approach is to identify critical needs, plan for them years in advance, and pursue every responsible funding source available. Grants, partnerships, inmate housing revenue, state and federal resources, and other outside funding opportunities can help reduce the burden on the local taxpayer. We have already demonstrated that outside funding can provide equipment and programs that otherwise would be difficult to afford.

At the same time, I believe we must continue working with the County Commissioners to clearly communicate the needs of the Sheriff’s Office and demonstrate the return the community receives from those investments. Public safety is not an expense we can eliminate; it is an investment in the safety, security, and quality of life of Caswell County.

My priority will always be to operate efficiently, seek outside resources, protect our employees and citizens, and make fiscally responsible decisions. A strong vision requires resources, but it also requires accountability, planning, and leadership to make the most of those resources.

Contact

🗣️ Tony Durden will be available at the September 19 Bright Leaf Hoedown to speak with residents.

💻 The Keep Sheriff Tony Durden Committee can be found online at https://www.tonydurden.com/

📲 You can also find the campaign on Facebook.