SHERIFF CANDIDATES DIFFER ON DRUG WAR

When it comes to fighting Pender County's war on drugs, the two
candidates for county sheriff agree to disagree.

Incumbent Carson Smith and his challenger Doyle Christopher both
view the county's growing drug problem as one of its major issues,
but their stance on how to deal with the problem is where the agreement ends.

Smith places an emphasis on taking down the drug trafficker instead
of making the street dealers his main focus.

"Taking down these street level guys, that's easy," Smith said. "We
can go out every night and arrest the dealers, but the next day
there will be someone else out there replacing the guy in jail.
You've got to attack the source to solve the problem."

Christopher said he plans to go after both the dealer and the
trafficker, but his main focus would be on the dealer.

"You can't really pick one person to go after, but the dealer causes
the most problems," he said. "The street-level person is giving this
stuff to the kids, getting them hooked on it and causing death in
some cases."

County residents will decide who leads the war on drugs and takes
the $48,413 a year position on Election Day, Nov. 7.

Smith, a Republican, is running on his record from the past four
years and counting on his knowledge and wisdom of the position to win votes.

"I have been around in implementing and supervising administrative
policies," Smith said. "I know and understand already what the
county's issues are, which will make it easy for me to start solving them."

The sheriff's office acts as the principal law enforcement agency
for the county. The sheriff is responsible for running the county
jail and the 911 center.

Smith, 39, conducted numerous drug busts in which deputies have
seized drugs and arrested area dealers and traffickers.

"We seized five kilos of cocaine during my term, which was the
largest bust in the county's history," Smith said. "We also arrested
50 people for drugs in Maple Hill in an area that's been known for
drugs for decades."

Smith has also added staff in the county's 911 center and placed
more officers out in the county to patrol to correspond with the
county's growth.

But Christopher, 58, said the county needs a change in leadership to
get a handle on the county's growing drug problem.

"The county needs someone who's going to get out there and work, and
that hasn't happened under the current administration," he said.

Christopher, a Democrat, is a retired first sergeant of the State
Highway Patrol. He plans to work with local, state and federal law
enforcement to form a drug task force team. Christopher also plans
to create a countywide emergency response team that will
train school officials on how to deal with school violence and work
with local agencies to educate the public on domestic violence. Most
importantly he said the department will have an open-door policy
with the public.

Smith plans to get the sheriff's office some technological upgrades
if elected for a second term. He plans to apply for a communications
grant so that the department can purchase equipment for deputies to
electronically file reports from their cars.

"I want a sheriff's office that grows with the county," he said.
"These technological advances will help the department do that."