Meet the candidates: New Hanover County Sheriff

A longtime incumbent will face a challenger in the race for New Hanover County Sheriff this November.

Edward McMahon, a Democrat, has served as sheriff in the county since 2009 and was elected to three consecutive terms in 2010, 2014 and 2018. This year, he'll face Republican candidate Matt Rhodes in the Nov. 8 general election.

Sheriffs are elected to four-year terms.

Ed McMahon

• Age: 61

• Occupation: Sheriff, New Hanover County

• Family: Married; two children; seven grandchildren

• Education: Bachelor of Science, Liberty University; graduate of the FBI National Academy

• Political affiliation: Democrat

Matt Rhodes

• Age: 52

• Occupation: Personal safety advisor

• Family: Married; two children

• Education: Criminal Justice Administration degree, Mount Olive College; Cape Fear Academy K-12

• Political affiliation: Republican

If elected, what are your top priorities?

McMahon: The safety of our school children remains a top priority. We've increased the number of school resource officers, placing deputies/officers at every school. We'll continue to provide SROs with the very best training available in active shooter response, de-escalation through verbal and physical approaches, and juvenile crime diversion programs. We'll continue our partnerships with federal and local law enforcement agencies, which has helped reduce our violent crime by 17% in the past year and overall crime by 41% in the past seven years. I'll continue to maintain a culture where personnel and residents are respected, valued and understood.

Rhodes: Tackling the opioid epidemic and school safety are my top priorities. I intend on implementing a larger, better-trained drug task force. This will aid in conquering the opioid trafficking problem, which will decrease the homeless population which is currently being ignored and decrease the violent crime in our area. I also have a plan to protect the school campuses as a whole against gun violence, bullying and sexual predators. Children will truly have a safe place to learn and parents can have peace of mind that their children will be protected.

Why are you a strong candidate?

McMahon: For 34 years, I have been a law enforcement officer, serving as your sheriff for the past 13 years. I love and understand this community and have gained its trust and confidence through years of involvement and service. We became the first sheriff's office in North Carolina to obtain the Triple Crown Award from the National Sheriff's Association. This means we have achieved international accreditations in law enforcement, detention operations and detention healthcare. This accomplishment proves we are holding ourselves accountable to accepted best practices in our field.

Rhodes: As a native of New Hanover County, I see the problems we face from a citizen’s perspective. I have a degree in criminal justice administration and am a business owner in the personal safety industry. I served on the New Hanover County Juvenile Crime Prevention Board. As a result, I have knowledge of the drug issues threatening our community. I am currently the Sergeant of Arms of the New Hanover County Law Enforcement Officers Association. I have the determination to fix these life and death issues in our community and I will not allow them to be ignored any longer.

What are challenges for law enforcement, and how would you address them?

McMahon: A major challenge is the opioid epidemic. I'm committed to helping those addicted and arresting the dealers of this poison. A detective responds to every overdose, if the person passes away, a thorough investigation is completed to determine the source of the drugs. We've charged multiple dealers with death by distribution, to include two dealers this year. We'll continue to aggressively apprehend and charge dealers using the investigative process. I'll continue building bridges within our entire community and holding our deputies to the highest standards possible in order to promote continued trust and confidence in our agency.

Rhodes: Safety, training, funding and fear of retribution are major challenges. My goal is to enhance the deputy’s training to better equip them to perform their duties on the streets and in our schools. I want to provide deputies with the salaries they deserve so they can afford to live in the community they serve. As sheriff, I will support my deputies and appreciate their sacrifices and the time they spend away from their family to protect the county and its citizens and as long as they do their job to the letter of the law, I will have their back.

What changes, if any, would you make regarding recruitment and retention efforts?

McMahon: My requirement for all sheriff's office employees is to be professional, responsible, accountable and have the utmost integrity. As your sheriff, I'll continue striving to maintain a workforce which reflects and respects the diversity of our community through recruitment practices and training opportunities. We have a very thorough recruitment process which includes a psychological evaluation, physical fitness evaluation, a polygraph exam, in addition to a thorough background check. We have been very fortunate in that we have not experienced the struggle of large personnel shortages like many other agencies have faced.

Rhodes: I would go to the local colleges and recruit young candidates who want to serve the community to make it a better place. I will pay new recruits well, train them well and offer incentives for veterans that choose to join the sheriff’s department. I will increase salaries for current deputies to retain them, learn from their experience and provide advanced training. I will support new and seasoned deputies and maintain an open door policy so they always feel safe coming to me with their issues. I will make becoming a sheriff deputy a highly sought after profession again.

What are ways the sheriff’s office can engage with the community?

McMahon: We'll continue our citizens academy that we began in 2009. The volunteer program established from the academy totals over 55,000 volunteer hours since its inception, encouraging citizens' involvement. To better serve our community we've added a Latino victim advocate position. We'll continue expanding community policing strategies through public/private organizational partnerships. We'll increase the exchange of information with our citizens through the development and use of technology and media platforms and will continue to modernize this agency with the latest tools necessary to effectively protect and serve our community.

Rhodes: Community policing will increase officer accountability and build community relationships and trust. Staying engaged with minorities, especially ones affected by losing friends and family members to drug overdose and violence and having a bigger presence in the school system will foster the relationship between the sheriff's office and the community. I intend on being available for community forums where the citizens can ask me questions and raise concerns so we can work together to resolve issues.

Jamey Cross is the public safety reporter at the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross. 

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Here's who's running for sheriff in New Hanover County