Next Durham sheriff, DA promise change

Clarence Birkhead, a former police chief for Hillsborough and Duke University, easily defeated Sheriff Mike Andrews in Tuesday's Democratic primary by a 69 to 31 percent margin, according to unofficial results.

Meanwhile, local attorney and affordable housing advocate Satana Deberry topped District Attorney Roger Echols by 49 to 41 percent.

Neither Birkhead nor Deberry faces any opposition in the November general election, so both will likely take office afterward unless someone mounts a successful write-in campaign.

"I think Durham is ready for change," said Birkhead, who would be Durham County's first black sheriff. "We’re seeing what I consider a renaissance in Durham, and with that comes the opportunity for new leadership and sort of fresh ideas and a fresh approach."

"Our No. 1 priority is to keep the people of Durham County safe and focus on violent crime and not really to focus on [other] things," Deberry said.

Andrews, who has served as sheriff since 2011, was philosophical about his loss.

"Thank you for the opportunity to serve Durham for 39 years. Pam and I have had the opportunity to help so many by serving our community. Although we are disappointed, we know God is in control, and we will follow the path he has set for us in life's journey," he posted on Facebook.

Echols was more terse in his Facebook post, thanking supporters and stating, "Based on the current numbers, it appears that we were not successful. Therefore, we would offer congratulations to Ms. Deberry."

Birkhead didn't say how he would have handled the situation differently.

"We want to protect everyone’s right to protest and peaceful assembly," he said. "But as a law enforcement professional, our responsibility is to protect life and property. So, if those situations occur again, we’ve got a plan in place."

Andrews also has faced protests over the operation of the county jail, where three inmates died in 2015-16. The National Institute of Corrections recommended dozens of reforms at the jail following an outside review, from separating inmates with mental health issues from the rest of the jail population to reducing staff turnover to improving the taste of jail food.

Berry said a key change she would like to see is reducing the number of people in jail awaiting trial – and the resulting cost to taxpayers – by eliminating the cash bail system.

"When you’re arrested for a low-level felony or a misdemeanor and there’s no indication that you won’t show up in court, we don’t think you should be penalized before you don’t show up in court," she said. "I think we need a fair bond schedule that takes into account that people have families to go to, people have jobs."

Birkhead also differentiated himself from Andrews on the campaign trail by noting that he wouldn't honor requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally even if they are eligible for release after being arrested.

"I will not honor ICE detainers. They are unconstitutional. They violate the Fourth Amendment. So, I don’t have any interest in cooperating with ICE," he said Wednesday. "Building trust is the most important to me, and that’s our No. 1 priority. And then we want to make sure we go after the things that are plaguing our city, whether it’s gun violence or drugs. We want to address those and be very aggressive and very innovative with that."

He declined to offer specifics on how he plans to combat drugs or gun violence in Durham County.

Deberry said she also wants more transparency in how the District Attorney's Office operates.

"I think the way that things are being run now in Durham is that they’re being run by a career prosecutor who spent 20 years being a prosecutor and not really thinking about the impact of prosecution on this community," she said. "I think we’re going to change that."