This Sheriff’s Office is about the children, the senior citizens, the victims and the communities of Cherokee County.  We strive to put solid, proactive programs in place to protect each and every person in Cherokee County. 

For the children….

EXPLORER PROGRAM

Law Enforcement Exploring is a Boy Scouts of America program that provides high school students an opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement.  This work-based program is part of the Learning for Life's Career Education program and focuses on building life skills and gaining leadership experience.  The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Explorer Post 422 was officially established in 2009 and is currently providing Explorers with skills in patrol, investigations, detention, 911 Dispatch, SERT, and legal processes.

GANG RESISTANCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (G.R.E.A.T.) PROGRAM

The Sheriff’s Office partnered with Cherokee County Schools in piloting this federally-recognized gang resistance program to promote positive relationships between students and law enforcement officers, character-building and conflict-resolution in middle school students.  During the spring of 2010, the GREAT Program was delivered in Andrews, Murphy and Mountain Youth Middle Schools.

For the Senior Citizens…

SAFER SENIOR

The Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Senior Center in creating Safer Senior, a program that allows citizens to ‘register’ their medical and contact information with 911 Dispatch.  This no-cost program allows 911 Communications to dispatch crucial medical information directly to the responding paramedics and receiving medical facility, once a 911 call has been placed by a ‘registered’ participant.  In addition, Dispatchers will contact family members and/or friends of the participant to apprise them of the emergency situation.

ELDERLY ABUSE TRAININGS

Every deputy and victim advocate working with the Sheriff’s Office has received additional and specialized training in dealing with our older populations, including all available resources unique to elderly abuse.

For the victims….

VICTIM ADVOCATE PROGRAM

The victim advocate program has brought national attention to Murphy, NC with its innovative approach to victim services.  The recipient of several awards such as Outstanding Law Enforcement Professional in Victim Services both on the Regional and State Levels; as well as the 2009 National Crime Services Award from the National Sheriffs’ Association. 

INTERNET CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN TASK FORCE

In an effort to provide a safer community the Cherokee County Sheriff Office has joined the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force which combines local, state and federal officers and resources to combat the exploitation of children. By joining the ICAC the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has received numerous hours of training and technical assistance from the U. S. Department of Justice at no cost to the taxpayers of Cherokee County. To provide additional avenues of security the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has provided free of charge to the public over 30 safety lectures which have been attended by over 200 citizens of Cherokee County, and continues to provide this service free of charge to the public.

For the communities…

MARBLE SPRINGS OUTDOOR EDUCATION AREA

The mission of the Marble Springs Outdoor Education Area is to provide “an active learning environment dedicated to conserving the natural history and cultural heritage of the community."  The property, adjacent to the Marble Elementary School and donated by NC Rep. Roger West, contains the original Marble Springs, Hyatt Creek (which is a designated trout stream), a wetland area, and an area of native pine forest.  Local stakeholders, including Cherokee County native Col. Howard Lovingood and the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition, Inc., have partnered with NC State University's Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) and the Region A Partnership for Children to help bring this project to fruition.

TOWN HALLS

The Sheriff’s Office believes that the answers lay in the communities. Several Town Halls were conducted throughout the county in 2009 as a first step in soliciting feedback and partnerships, to ensure that the Sheriff’s Office continues to serve the people.  Some of the topics discussed included Internet Crimes Against Children, Gang Awareness, Safer Senior and current drug trends.  Sheriff Lovin invited all department heads to participate in these meetings so that immediate responses were available.  In addition, these meetings served as a platform to announce new programs and services available through the Sheriff’s Office.

HIWASSEE DAM SUB-STATION

To better serve the citizens in the western area of Cherokee County, the Sheriff’s Office has staffed a sub-station housed in EMS Station 3 building.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAMS

In order to effectively combat the emerging crime trends that are taking root in our communities, the Sheriff’s Office hopes to engage all neighborhoods in taking an active stance against crime.  Utilizing grant funds, several personnel took advantage of a national training offered by the National Sheriffs’ Association on establishing comprehensive Neighborhood Watches throughout Cherokee County.

Other Programs and Services available…

INMATE FARM PROJECT

In an effort to reduce the ever-arising costs of food and to meet the ever-rising number of inmates, we have established the Inmate Farm Project to meets two purposes: 1) Reduce the cost of feeding inmates and 2) Provide the inmates with activities that are beneficial to their health and productive to the county.

JAIL WORK-DETAILS

I take the position that if an inmate is capable of productive work, then he or she should be given that opportunity.  Inmate work-details have saved both the county government and local townships taxpayer dollars in such projects as the Martins Creek School, Smoky Mountain Aero, Mountain Youth Center, Cherokee County Landfill, graveyard maintenance, trash pickup, and Marble School Project.

JAIL SERVICES

The Detention Center boasts several new services during my administration, such as Jail Ministries, GED programs, Work Release Programs, Work Details, the Inmate Farm Project and both Alcohol and Narcotics Anonymous programs.  The new Detention Center began operations in 2008 and expanded inmate capacity from 43 to 150, with specialized pods for maximum security, juveniles and medical services.

Recently, the Detention Center has procured a contract to house federal inmates, bringing the county revenue of $55 per inmate, per day.