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Vernon Bryant is a
chief probation and parole officer with Judicial District
6A. He has coordinated the district’s House Arrest
Response Team activities since the program’s
inception. He is responsible for developing schedules for
personnel serving on the Response Team and serves as the
contact for the on-call officers when they have
difficulties or need assistance. As a result, he receives
many calls to his residence on weekends and nights. JDM
Frank Pittard said Mr. Bryant provides the guidance
necessary to enable the Response Team to perform its
mission in a manner that emphasizes safety for both the
staff and the general public. Thanks
to strong support for the program by Mr. Bryant, the
judges and the District Attorney, Halifax County has been
a leader in the use of House Arrest as a sanction. In
addition to his duties as a chief probation and parole
officer, Mr. Bryant also serves as a member of the
Roanoke Rapids School Board.
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John Cyrus
is a chief probation/parole officer for Judicial District
26. He was selected to plan and implement the Community
Policing Program in Mecklenburg County. By working in
conjunction with the Police Department, he developed a
strategic plan consisting of a mission, goals and
objectives for the program. He personally named the
program CEASE for Combined Enforcement and Supervision
Effort. The program allows police and probation and
parole officers mutual access to each agency's information systems while working together to
keep tabs on offenders. This unique program provides
cross training for police and probation officers, and the
cooperation is expected to play a proactive role in
preventing crime in the community. |
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Charles Harris
is the superintendent of IMPACT West. Major Harris was
requested to assist his division by overseeing IMPACT
East as well as IMPACT West for a period of time last
year. This required Major Harris to travel long distances
and spend a great deal of time away from his family.
Major Harris provided important leadership, carried out
his duties overseeing both boot camp operations in a
professional manner and provided recommendations to the
Director for changes that were put into place and greatly
improved operations at IMPACT East. With his leadership
and the cooperation of the staff, IMPACT West continued
to do an excellent job supervising young men in its
rigorous and challenging program. |
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Christopher
Oxendine is a chief probation and parole officer
for Judicial District 18. He is the coordinator and
contact person for High Point Police Department’s
Violent Crime Task Force, a program that has helped to
dramatically reduce the occurrence of violent crime in
the community. He is also District 18’s liaison for
the Federal Community Policing Task Force. Mr. Oxendine
oversees all community policing activities within
Guilford County by maintaining contact with all federal
and local law enforcement agencies along with the
probation and parole officers. He has also coordinated
the cross-training of rookie police officers for the High
Point Police Department and actively participates on the
Division Case Management Task Force. |
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Stephen Wood
is a probation and parole officer for Judicial District
11. Mr. Wood serves as chairman of District Two’s
Combined Campaign and the district’s Special
Olympics Committee. As chairman of District Two’s
Special Olympics Committee, Mr. Wood demonstrated his
leadership skills by raising more than 1,500 dollars in
T-shirt sales alone. His motivation and professionalism
has enabled Division Two to raise several thousand
dollars to support the Department’s efforts in the
Special Olympics. Division Two
Chief Woody Fullwood said Mr. Wood has an excellent
rapport with the criminal justice community and readily
assists his co-workers, volunteering to help out in the
absence of others.
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Thomas Ashley
is a sergeant at Dan River Prison Work Farm. Since
joining the staff at Dan River, Sgt. Ashley has been a
true leader with the Community Work Program. Sgt. Ashley
wrote the facility Standard Operating Procedures,
assisted in the CWP correctional officer selections,
ordered all required equipment, and ensured that all CWP
personnel were properly trained. Sgt. Ashley has worked
closely with local leaders by personally reviewing
requests for work and conducting site inspections to
ensure CWP activities are conducted in a professional and
safe manner. Sgt. Ashley worked
many long hours cleaning up the tornado damage in
Stoneville and the hurricane damage at the coast. As part
of this complex disaster relief, Sgt. Ashley coordinated
with federal, state and local government agencies, as
well as, numerous volunteer and non-profit groups to
ensure all work requests were prioritized.
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Milton Briscoe is
a sergeant at Cleveland Correctional Center.
Superintendent Ross said Sergeant Briscoe has continued
to display a professional attitude and has been an
inspiration to others even while faced with the diagnosis
of a degenerative kidney disease and a possible
reassignment due to the pending closure of the prison.
With the possibility of closure looming over the
facility, Sergeant Briscoe has set a positive example for
other employees by being supportive of management and
dealing with employee concerns. He has also assisted
management in shift coverage due to the recent hiring
freezes and the defections of other staff. Despite the diagnosis of his disease, Sergeant
Briscoe has continued to fulfill his duties without
self-pity or bitterness and has also taken on the
additional duty of volunteering to represent the unit at
the Special Olympics.
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Joe Floyd
is a unit manager at Hoke Correctional Institution. As
central unit manager, he has worked to improve
communication by establishing regular meetings with line
staff and subordinate staff to review policy and
procedure. He established a training package for newly
promoted and transferred sergeants and an orientation
sheet for correctional officers to ensure all employees
fully understand their duties. He also designed standard
operating procedures for Town Hall Meetings with inmates
to address inmate questions and concerns. After determining the need for more
administrative office space, Mr. Floyd designed the plans
and supervised the construction. He also established a
new inmate identification/count board and designed inmate
bulletin boards to ensure all information pertinent to
inmates is easily accessible.
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William Holloway
is a lieutenant at Tyrrell Prison Work Farm. Upon the
opening of the facility, he helped establish Standard
Operating Procedures and guidelines. Lieutenant Holloway
was given the task of managing third shift by himself and
has managed to keep morale high by encouraging everyone
to bring food to the staff meetings while he prepares the
main course. When the staff was preparing to open the
facility and the kitchen was not yet in use, Lt. Holloway
helped prepare lunch for the staff. He also cooks for
other staff functions and has been instrumental in two
fundraisers for staff who had family medical problems. Lt. Holloway also initiated using a mirror to
check under vehicles and in some areas of the dorm which
has led to the finding of serious contraband.
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James Horne
is a fiscal sergeant at Neuse Correctional Institution.
As fiscal sergeant, he has written numerous Data Ease
applications to improve the prison’s efficiency
including a maintenance work order system that allows
supervisors to submit work orders electronically to the
facility maintenance supervisor and an application that
generates up-to-date price lists for the canteens and
warehouse. Another application designed by Sgt. Horne
tracks items issued through the indigent inmate radio and
battery program. Sgt. Horne also
keeps the Local Area Network up and running and serves as
the principal editor on the digital video system. His
efforts have saved Neuse countless man-hours.
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James Langston
is a lieutenant at Wake Correctional Center. Lieutenant
Langston excels as the Officer-in-Charge of second shift
operations by encouraging the professional development of
the staff. During the past year, he served as chairman of
a facility work group to make recommendations on revising
the facility smoking policy, handling this sensitive
issue in a professional manner. Lieutenant
Langston has also served his community by volunteering to
help out with the North Carolina Special Olympics, the
North Carolina Senior Games and the DOC and SEANC
information booths at the State Fair. He also volunteers
in the local schools and serves as a school PTA member.
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Roger Lee is a
captain at the North Carolina Correctional Institution
for Women. Captain Lee conducts and directs the internal
affairs investigations for the Warden at NCCIW.
Performing his duties with the highest degree of
integrity and professionalism, he is a thorough
investigator, making sure to obtain all the relevant
facts. Warden Caldwell said his written investigative
reports are clear, concise, and he uses sound judgement
in all actions and resulting recommendations. Also, during the extensive construction taking
place at the facility, Captain Lee has been responsible
for ensuring security supervision on a daily basis for
each site. His duties have included working out schedules
with numerous contractors and providing security
clearance for workers.
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Michael McIntyre is a
correctional officer at Southern Correctional
Institution. He has been instrumental in the success of
the Institution’s Blanket Recovery Project, a
project that uses inmate labor to turn scrap material
into blankets for charitable organizations. Officer
McIntyre began the project with six inmates and now
employs nine with hopes of starting a second shift.
Officer McIntyre has used his creativity along with the
suggestions of the inmates to turn the scrap material
into blankets for the Red Cross, blankets for the Aging
in Housing Projects, wheel chair cushions, wheel chair
lap blankets, painting smocks for schools, kindergarten
mats and Christmas stockings. Superintendent
Clark said Officer McIntyre is an outstanding liaison
between the public and the Department of Correction in
the distribution of the blankets being made at the
facility.
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Terry Rutan
is a correctional officer at Caledonia Correctional
Institution. Officer Rutan was leaving work in September
when he saw a state car spin out of control and wreck in
a ditch. Stopping to help who he thought was a fellow
state employee, Officer Rutan soon realized that the
driver was not a state employee but an escaped inmate.
The inmate started running toward the woods and Officer
Rutan followed and captured the inmate. He even attended
to gash on the inmate’s head until help could
arrive. Due to Officer
Rutan’s thoughtfulness in attempting to help a
fellow employee, he was able to use his skills and
instincts to apprehend an escaped inmate from Tyrrell
Prison Work Farm.
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Ricky Ward is a
sergeant at Johnston Correctional Institution. He was
getting ready for work in November when he was called
upon to help a neighbor involved in a life-threatening
situation. Sergeant Ward asked his wife to call 911 while
he went next door to help. As he approached his
neighbor’s house, Sergeant Ward saw his neighbor
lying on the couch with blood on her head, face, hands
and carpet. A man was holding the neighbor by her hair,
and the neighbor’s son was standing in the doorway
holding his head and crying. Sergeant
Ward entered the house and pointed his pistol at the man.
He handcuffed the man and told the neighbor and her son
to go to his house. A sheriff’s deputy arrived soon
thereafter and took charge of the situation.
Superintendent Woodard said Sgt. Ward acted in a brave
and heroic manner while placing his own life in
harm’s way.
Once again, thank you all for
everything that you do for the Department of Correction.
As Secretary of the Department, I want you to know that
your efforts are certainly appreciated.
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Danny Ray is a
correctional officer at Buncombe Correctional Center.
Unfortunately, he is unable to be with us today because
his father is undergoing surgery. Officer
Ray started the Community Work Program at Buncombe and
takes an active role in operating the program. He attends
and implements all training with the CWP officers and
played a big role in ordering the necessary equipment to
get the program started. The inmates look up to Officer
Ray as a role model and, in return, give 100 percent
effort. Officer Ray’s personnel file is full of
letters from community leaders thanking him for the
excellent work done. Assistant Superintendent Cantrell
states, "Without Officer Ray, the Community Work
Program here at Buncombe would not be the success it is
in the community."
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