AURORA, N.C. (WNCT) — New Beaufort County Sheriff Scott Hammonds spent Thursday evening in Aurora to take part in a special event and to listen to the citizens’ concerns.
Hammonds took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new sheriff’s office substation. After that, he joined others who were there for a town hall event. Some of the goals for Hammonds before becoming sheriff was to serve and engage with communities. Now that he’s sheriff, that’s what he was doing Thursday in the first of his town hall events.
“Any town that has a brick-and-mortar presence of a law enforcement structure and cooperation demonstrates strength between the leadership, and that’s what we’re here to present,” Hammonds said.
Part of that leadership was taken across the street to the Aurora community center as Hammonds’ department took questions from the public. Some of the questions asked were if deputies wear body cameras, what having a community watch means and if the sheriff’s office has resource officers in schools.
To those questions, Hammonds and the deputies answered with all deputies wear body cameras and the community watch is another pair of eyes. Beaufort County Schools currently has a system in place for school resource officers, so the sheriff’s office acts as an extension to offer assistance as needed.
“The town hall is a vehicle to get into the community and allows the community with the proper planning to show and introduce themselves and allows us to introduce ourselves,” Hammonds said.
There will be other community sessions like this one happening in Beaufort County over the next several weeks and months. Below is the remaining schedule.
- Belhaven Civic Center, located at 257 W Pungo St, Belhaven on 4/11/23 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
- Edward Christian Church, located at 23 Academy St, Edward on 5/25/23 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
- Alligood Church Of God, located at 1891 Mill Hole Rd, Washington on 6/15/23 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
- Chocowinity Fire Department, located at 512 NC33 E, Chocowinity on 7/11/23 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
- Bath Ruritan Building, located at 504 Carteret Street, Bath on 8/15/23 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
- Clarks Neck Fire Department, located at 3797 Wharton Station Rd. Washington on 9/14/23 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
- Blounts Creek Fire Department, located at 13965 NC33 E Blounts Creek on 10/12/23 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
- Pinetown Fire Department, located at 7262 North Boyd Rd. Pinetown on 11/16/23 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm
