RAMSEUR, N.C. — In six days, residents of Ramseur could be without a police department. That’s when Chief David Presley plans to turn in his badge and gun and retire.
Currently, Chief Presley is the only full-time officer remaining on staff. This follows the resignation of the department’s five other officers. The department had requested a 10 percent raise for each officer, but the town says they can only afford a 5 percent increase. According to Presley, it’s difficult to retain officers in small towns like Ramseur because of the lower pay.
However, the potential loss of a police department has some in the town concerned about what the future might hold.
“There’s gonna be more break-ins and more violence and stuff because, you know, they’re not gonna be able to respond,” said Jean Burgess, a Randolph County resident. “Response time is not gonna be like it was with what they’ve got going on.”
Several business owners have expressed their worries. Johnny Luck, who owns a technology store just down the street from the police department, fears that if the department shuts down, his store could become an even bigger target for thieves.
“It was kind of nice having them pretty close by in case something did happen,” Luck said. “I mean, they were near enough, they could hear my alarm if it went off, you know, and most of the time they would respond if somebody was close by there. You know, there’s not always somebody at the office, but yeah, I’m very concerned about it. I’ve already had several break-ins, the building behind my business. Every time we go on vacation and come back, it’s been broken into.”
If the town doesn’t save the police department, coverage would then fall to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, which is standard protocol.
This isn’t the first time a police department in the area has faced the threat of being dissolved. Just three years ago, the town of Mocksville disbanded its department, and two weeks ago, the town of Stoneville was debating the issue.
WFMY reached out to leaders of the town of Ramseur and the Sheriff’s Office. Both declined to comment.
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