Close vote, runoff election reflects different takes on how to run Wake Sheriff's Office
For the second time in a row, a Wake County Sheriff's Office employee will run for his boss' position.
Current Sheriff Gerald Baker worked at the sheriff's department for 28 years before he upset Donnie Harrison in 2018. This year, retired Maj. Willie Rowe challenged Baker in the Democratic primary, forcing a run-off between the two.
In the 2018 election, Baker largely campaigned on opposing Wake County's participation in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that requires counties to transfer people who have been arrested and are believed to be in the U.S. illegally to federal custody.
Baker said deportation was "a federal matter and let them deal with it."
While Harrison defended the program as a way to ensure public safety, Baker has said some people were arrested on minor infractions and the program was tearing apart their families.
Another issue highlighted during the 2018 election was a confrontation between law enforcement and a Raleigh man where a deputy let a dog loose on the man.
Kyron Dwain Hinton said he suffered a broken eye socket, broken nose, multiple cuts on his head, "probably 20 bite marks" and memory loss during the incident when several officers knocked him to the ground and hit him while the sheriff's office K-9 bit him on his right arm, side and head. Those officers were charged, and Hinton was awarded $80,000 in 2019 to settle a lawsuit in which he claimed a Wake County deputy used excessive force in that arrest.
Since taking office however, Baker has received criticism about low morale and staffing shortages in the department. Some have also said they were terminated or demoted because of their support for Harrison.
In April of this year, the sheriff's department announced it had settled a lawsuit with Richard Johnson, the former WCSO chief of operations under Harrison.
Johnson filed the lawsuit in 2020, alleging he was "retaliated against by not being asked to return to serve under the new administration."
Another deputy, Cedric Herring, who resigned and announced he would be running for sheriff, said his son was terminated and the son's fiancée placed on leave with no explanation. While the Herrings did not speculate publicly on whether Baker’s actions were retaliatory in some way, other fired deputies told WRAL Investigates that was the case when they spoke in early 2019.
In January of this year, a long-time member of the department and a supporter of Baker's campaign also shared similar concerns that he said led to his resignation.
"I do not believe [Baker] has been transparent. In fact, I have been in meetings where he has tried to find ways to evade being transparent," said Jared Ollison, who worked at the department for years, took a 13-year break but returned following Baker's election.
Ollison said he felt uneasy about Baker's instruction to ride detention staffers until he broke them. But Baker said he did not make that suggestion.
"A part of those instructions was to go down and keep an eye on things, let me know what's going on and we will deal with things as we need to," Baker told WRAL Investigates in January.
Another issue raised by candidates in both the Republican and Democratic primaries was staffing shortages at the department.
In December 2021, Baker said the department was "aggressively and actively" hiring, and that the staffing shortages was an issue law enforcement agencies across the country are dealing with.
"This office's morale is better than it's been in years," he said. "Those who feel differently are going to be those who are disgruntled for reasons they know."
Baker said he's worked to bring accountability, transparency and integrity into the department and changes to management structure have been successful.
"I am not just going to walk away from all this work we've been doing serving this county for four years," Baker said.
In Tuesday's primary, Baker faced six other candidates, including Willie Rowe, a retired major from the sheriff's department. On Tuesday night, Rowe had 29% of the Democratic votes cast with 100% of precincts reporting. Baker was in second place with 24% of votes.
On the Republican side, Harrison easily secured the nomination with 80 percent of the vote.
To become a party's nominee, a candidate must receive 30% of the votes cast plus one. There are still outstanding ballots that could change the final numbers, though likely not enough to chance the outcome of the election.
"You've got to look at the actual number of ballots that were cast," said Gary Sims with Wake County Board of Elections.
"It doesn't mean that every single ballot that was properly cast is going to go for one particular candidate."
Baker told WRAL News he'll seek a run-off if Rowe doesn't reach the 30 percent plus one vote threshold.
"I am a strong leader. I have shown that for years. That was what the office needed in 2018 – someone who was going to come in and be strong enough to take all the licks that came with re-organizing and restricting that office to serve this county. I am him,” said Baker.
Rowe, who is a 28-year veteran of the department, said hiring issues need to be fixed in order to keep the county safe.
"Right now, my focus is that we come in and bring unity, improve morale, improve working conditions and just work together and make Wake County safer," said Rowe.
“I think our message was that we want to bring proven leadership, proven experience and proven relationships,” he said. “That’s the key to making a safer Wake County.”
Part of Rowe’s plan to combat staffing issues includes increasing pay, improving working conditions, offering part-time positions for retirees and expanding the reserve officers’ program.
"We need a sheriff who cares, who understands and who can identify and relate to the people we serve and protect," said Rowe.
Rowe said he also plans to boost community trust with daily interactions with residents through “mentoring, sports and recreation activities with youth.”
Harrison, who will face whoever wins the Democratic primary, also outlined his plan to combat staffing shortages.
"That is one of the main things we are going to have to do is get more people because right now, they are really running behind a lot of their agencies — I am not just talking about the sheriff's office. But we have got to hire," said Harrison.
Harrison said part of his plan includes talking with County Commissioners on ways to improve.
"We have got to hire good people and we have to train those people and we got to retain those people," he said.
