Sheriff's Office
The Gates County Sheriff's Office services Gates County with 13 full-time officers, three auxiliary officers, and office support staff. We cover 337 square miles with approximately 14 miles of waterfront along the edge of the Chowan River. We have three major highways allowing access to the Southeastern Tidewater area, and Northeastern North Carolina including the Outer Banks.
The Sheriff, the chief law enforcement officer in Gates County, and his deputies are responsible for the protection of all life and property, the enforcement of all federal and state criminal regulations and codes, the enforcement of all civil actions and orders handed down by the respective courts. Some of the duties include criminal, civil, child support, and juvenile courts where we must provide security for judges, court personnel, jurors, and citizens. Gates County Sheriff's Office has the responsibility for handling all major crimes such as murders, kidnappings, fraud and burglaries, sexual assaults, and narcotic drug enforcement as well as keeping track of all county sex offenders. We handle enforcement of traffic offenses such as drunk driving, speeding, drug interdiction and general North Carolina crimes including trespassing, misdemeanor larcenies, worthless checks, all criminal and civil papers, security for all schools and school related functions, enforcement of child custody orders and domestic violence protective orders. Gates County has mutual aid agreements with all surrounding local, state, and federal agencies to assist each other in respective cases.
All of Gates County Sheriff's Deputies are certified in specialty schools such as radar, intoxilyzer, and standardized field sobriety testing (DWI enforcement). They are trained yearly through specialized and advanced training schools through North Carolina Justice Academy, Coastal Plains Training Academy, local community colleges, and departmental in-service training. Deputies are trained on firearms and specialty weapons twice a year along with receiving training in Hazardous Materials, Blood Born Pathogens, First Aid and CPR, Pepper spray, fire suppression, domestic violence and juvenile sensitivity training.