GATES COUNTY, N.C. - "The violence being levied against law enforcement. It’s almost like we’re being targeted."
Sheriff Ray Campbell with the Gates County Sheriff’s Office spoke to News 3 about the recent surge in gun violence against law enforcement officers in North Carolina.
"The time and effort we put in protecting, to have somebody turn a gun on us is pretty sad," Campbell said.
Seven law enforcement officers have been shot in the last three weeks. That’s according to the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association.
Just last week in Raleigh, a deputy was shot and killed. Wake County Sheriff’s Office says it happened on a dark road. Two weeks ago, an officer was shot in Clemmons, North Carolina. The officer is in stable condition and the suspect is dead. In Greensboro, a suspect shot an officer who was attempting to serve a search warrant.
Sheriff Campbell says law enforcement isn’t getting enough support, including in Gates County.
"I have an aging fleet of patrol cars. They are wearing out."
Campbell says his agency is in need of three new patrol cars, but funding for them has not approved by county officials.
"When I approached our county manager to voice my concerns with what has just happened. The losing of a vehicle, he actually turned his back at me and wouldn’t listen to what I had to say. That’s what kind of support I have here. Quite frankly, I’m tired of it," Campbell said.
The operational impact is on the verge of getting worse, he added.
"Next year this time, I don’t know. I can’t tell you, yes we’re going to have a full fleet of vehicles if we don’t start replacing vehicles. I have two openings for deputies. If I were to hire two more, I don’t have a vehicle to issue them," Campbell said.
Citizens voiced their concerns at a county Board of Commissioner’s meeting Wednesday evening.
"If we got money to spend $200,000 on worthless land, why don’t we have enough money to get the sheriff some cars?" one Gates County resident asked.
Gates County Sheriff's Office has two openings for deputy positions, but hasn't received any applications, Campbell says. With many law enforcement agencies in Hampton Roads and North Carolina also facing staffing shortages, Campbell noted the uptick in deputy shootings doesn’t help recruiting efforts.
News 3 reached out to eight northeast North Carolina Sheriff's if they concur with Sheriff Campbell's assessment and seeking reaction to the surge in shootings of deputies across the state. Perquimans County Sheriff Shelby White told News 3, "To an extent, yes I do, as to the funding," and added that "the surge in attacks is unfortunate and prayers are with those involved and praying safety for all law enforcement."
News 3's John Cowley contributed to this report.
