PERSON SHERIFF'S CANDIDATES SPEAK OUT

ROXBORO -- From shootouts to drug busts to domestic violence, the five
candidates running for the office of Person County Sheriff have seen it all
over their combined 96 years in law enforcement.

But this fall's sheriff's race may prove to be one of their toughest
challenges.

The five candidates are Republicans Todd Boycher and Dempsey Dunn and
Democrats Linwood Clayton, Robert Bumpass and incumbent Dennis Oakley.
Voters will whittle those five down to two in the Sept. 10 primary election.

Each candidate is quick to single out drugs as the county's most dire
problem because the drug culture fuels break-ins, domestic assaults and
violent crime, they say.

Person County's crime rate appears to be moving in the right direction. In
2000, there were 3,020 incidents of violent and property crime, according
to the N.C. Department of Justice. But that number dipped to 2,562 combined
incidents, a 15 percent drop, in 2001. Statewide, the combined crime rate
rose 1.5 percent from 2000 to 2001.

Here's a look at the five candidates:

Republicans

Todd Boycher is a man with a detailed plan. He says he brings a level of
education to the race unmatched by any other candidate. Listing the many
issues on his platform, Boycher said he wants to return to a time "when
people felt more safe in their homes and more secure with their property."

To do this, Boycher, a patrol officer for the Roxboro Police Department,
insists on smoothing relations between the police force and the sheriff's
office.

"Instead of having turf wars over jurisdiction, we need to work together
irregardless of who gets the credit in your newspaper," he said.

Boycher also wants the sheriff's office more involved in the community,
including inviting more citizens to ride along with officers, so that the
county's younger residents will respect law enforcement rather than fearing
or reviling it. To combat drugs and drunk driving, he insists on more
license checkpoints in high crime areas.

"Law enforcement is not rocket science," he said. "It's doing the will of
the people and taking care of them."

Before his current stint with the Roxboro police, Boycher served with the
sheriff's office for 12 years and with the Durham sheriff's office for four
years.

A vice president of a local construction company, Dempsey Dunn wants to
return to law enforcement because he "loves helping people."

A 10-year veteran of the Roxboro police and a former deputy for seven
years, Dunn said he is still amazed at the brazen nature of today's drug
dealers. Last month, a man approached him at a construction site wanting to
sell Dunn a duffel bag full of drugs.

"If I can buy it, and I'm running for sheriff, that tells me we've got a
serious problem," he said.

Dunn understands the role of sheriff can often be a thankless job with long
hours, but he welcomes the workload and wants to get back to putting
criminals behind bars.

Dunn stresses his 19-year management experience and supervision of hundreds
of employees while overseeing a nuclear power plant and running the
construction firm.

And he touts his law enforcement experience as well. Dunn explains the
sacrifices he's made in his 17-year career in uniform including "four
shootouts, 47 stitches, three broken bones and a half-pint of blood out
there on [U.S.] 501."

In one shootout, Dunn and a suspect "booth stood in the road like at the OK
Corral." Dunn said he killed the man.

"It was a tragic thing, but I had no choice," he said. "I put my life on
the line, and I didn't run from trouble."

Democrats

Dennis Oakley has been sheriff for 12 years, but he still feels there's a
lot of work to do.

Oakley touts his 26 years of experience and successes through the years,
including more than $3 million in seized assets and cash from local drug
dealers. About $250,000 of the money was turned over to local schools. He
said he enjoys the law enforcement side of his job -- "being a part of
something and making it right" -- but not the political side.

But he's confident in his leadership style. "I work with my men and women,"
he said. "I don't expect them to do anything I wouldn't do. It all stops at
my desk. If there are problems, I'm there to go help them or find resources
for them."

The sheriff said he is concerned about drugs because they are related to
about 85 percent of all crimes, but Oakley feels the county is "holding its
own on the drug problem.

"Inmates who have served time in [Raleigh's] Central Prison tell me,
'[inmates] don't call it Person County. They call it 'prison county,' " he
said, pointing to the state's high ranking in number of felony arrests per
capita.

Robert Bumpass retired from the sheriff's office as chief deputy in 1998.
But after giving 27 years of his life as a lawman, Bumpass hungers for more.

"I enjoyed my work," he said. "I enjoyed helping people. After I retired I
had people come up to me and tell me I should run."

Bumpass said if elected, he would reach out to the department and the
community to improve relations between the two.

"We must gain the confidence of the young people," he said. "Come and talk
to people because they don't have to be scared of you. We must build up the
morale within the county and around the sheriff's office."

To combat the break-ins, Bumpass recommends making patrols of homes and
business the top priority.

Linwood Clayton also believes in fostering good relationships with the
community and has chosen "Together we can make a difference" as his
campaign slogan.

"A sheriff alone cannot do it by himself," he said. "He must have people
and the public behind him." That means more community watches, drug
awareness programs and getting business owners involved, he said.

Clayton also wants better training for officers. More emphasis must be
placed on school resource officers and letting the elderly know about
potential scams, he said.

An electrical contractor, Clayton was a deputy sheriff for 10 years and is
a 20-year veteran of the rescue squad.

"Ever since I've been in law enforcement, I've enjoyed dealing with the
public," he said. "It was my dream to run for sheriff one day."