6 candidates aim to replace Orange County sheriff

Lindy Pendergrass has served Orange County as its sheriff for the past 32 years, and following his announcement in November that he wouldn’t be considering reelection to a ninth term, six candidates filed in February to fill his shoes.

Larry Faucette, Buddy Parker, Andy Cagle, Keith Webster, David Caldwell Jr. and Charles Blackwood all filed as democratic candidates for sheriff . The primary is May 6.

Buddy Parker, 41, could not be reached after four requests for comment.

Andy Cagle

Cagle, 46, is the only candidate without law enforcement experience.

But Cagle said with more than 20 years of business management experience while owning a local business, he brings a lot to the table.

“In business, customers are paying for a product,” Cagle said. “In a sense, for taxpayers, they are paying for a product, and that is service, and they should get the best possible protection from that agency their tax dollars are spent on.”

Cagle said he wants to get the sheriff’s office accredited, which will hold the office to predetermined standards.

Additionally, Cagle said he wants to create a more efficient office by fueling the office’s vehicles with propane gas, which is less expensive and has less of a carbon footprint.

Larry Faucette

Faucette, 57, said he has more than 30 years of experience at the sheriff’s office, where he now works part-time. He has attained the rank of captain.

Faucette intends to focus on the programs the office has with local schools.

“I like how we have officers in the schools,” Faucette said. “That’s something I won’t change, but I’d like to tweak those programs.”

He said he wants to foster trust in law enforcement in kids by giving them more responsibility with a student safety patrol program.

“I know serving as a sheriff isn’t about ego or power, it’s about protecting and serving, and I will be a sheriff of the people,” he said.

Keith Webster

Webster, 45, is currently lieutenant of the Carrboro police department’s patrol division. In the past he has also worked at the sheriff’s office and the Hillsborough Police Department, where he was a canine handler.

“I represent a new era of law enforcement,” said Webster, who wants to modernize the office.

Webster said he wants to better equip officers and use improved technology to modernize the jail and reduce redundant paperwork at the office. Additionally, he wants to bring in a program he called Intelligent Policing which helps departments move their resources where the crime rate may increase.

“It’s not an end-all, be-all, but it is a new tool in the tool belt,” he said.

David Caldwell Jr.

Caldwell, 60, worked at the sheriff’s office for 22 years, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant of the patrol division. He said he has spent the last few years training, lecturing, and helping the Rogers Road community organize toward environmental justice.

Caldwell said he’d like to see a change in the department’s recruiting policy.

“I’d like to have more agressive recruiting of minorities,” he said.

Increasing the amount of minorities in the office will help increase communication skills between officers and the public, he said.

“By increasing communication skills, we will be more apt to approach minorities and work with them,” Caldwell said.

Charles Blackwood

Blackwood, 54, is currently major of operations at the sheriff’s office and said he has a good knowledge of how the office fits into the part of the puzzle that makes the county strong.

“Over 32 years of serving, I’ve had the ability to supervise or manage or serve in all the divisions of the sheriff’s office,” he said.

Blackwood said he intends to implement a paperless reporting system, preventing return trips to the office by deputies and keeping them available for calls.

“The sheriff is like a problem solver for the community,” said Blackwood. “I don’t think there’s any more important office anywhere.”

city@dailytarheel.com