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Maria Jocys, candidate for Durham County sheriff

News & Observer - 10/19/2022

Name:Maria Jocys

Age: 55

Political party: Unaffiliated

Campaign website:jocysforsheriff.com

Occupation and employer:Retired FBI

Education:Bachelor's degree, East Carolina University

Have you run for elected office before?No.

Please list highlights of your civic involvement:As a law enforcement professional who spent 24 years with the FBI, I provided community awareness presentations on a range of public safety topics from hate crimes to civil rights to domestic terrorism. I spoke to a wide variety of diverse groups to build trust and strengthen relationships between the FBI and communities we served. I am a donor to the Interfaith Food Shuttle, Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC, and Durham Meals on Wheels.

Who are your top three campaign contributors?Abby DeLotto, Stephanie Brennan, George Smart

What are three things you want to accomplish in the next year, and how do you plan to accomplish them?

Prevent Durham's gun violence crisis. With a meaningful partnership and shared strategy, we can save lives. The Sheriff's Office must do a better job to partner with Durham Police Department on prevention strategies and operations to stop gun violence

Position the Sheriff's Office as a true champion of reform. People want and deserve an agency that delivers on promises of transparency and accountability. In his 2018 campaign, the current sheriff promised to create a Citizen Review Board "to bring the power of accountability to the people." It never happened. The Sheriff will not offer his agency's use-of-force data to the FBI, which is trying to create a national database for the public. I have a Six-Point Plan for Reform focused on transparency and accountability.

Rebuild the depleted ranks of the Sheriff's Office to professionalize, depoliticize, diversify, and improve public safety service. I will recruit and promote leaders based on professional conduct, not political calculations.

What about your experience makes you the best person to be sheriff?

I am a 32-year law enforcement veteran including 24 years as an FBI agent. I served in various leadership roles at FBI headquarters in D.C., overseeing hundreds of personnel. I was nationally recognized by the FBI for my leadership, and I was the first woman to lead the FBI's Raleigh office. Partnerships were central to our mission to protect the American people from all threats. After the 9/11 attack, I helped lead the FBI's transformation from a stove-piped reactive agency to one that's threat-focused and a collaborative partner that prioritizes preventing incidents before they occur. I spent five years with an FBI gang and violent crime task force assigned to Durham. By working with Durham Police Department, community members, and from dozens of interviews with gang members, I learned about the root causes of violent feuds in Durham that resulted in much of the gun violence. I will bring an experienced, focused discipline to our goal of making Durham safer for everyone.

What does the current administration do well? In what areas does the Sheriff's Office need to improve?

The current administration supports the Medication Assisted Treatment program for people with opioid use disorder. I support this program as it allows the incarcerated to receive medication while in the detention center, with a goal of treating their addiction and reducing recidivism. The most urgent improvement needed now is a commitment and plan from the Sheriff to partner meaningfully with the Durham Police Department to prevent Durham's gun violence. The sheriff must share responsibility for curbing gun violence in ALL of Durham County -- including the city of Durham. The sheriff should focus on partnering closely with Durham PD, not sheriff's in Alamance and Guilford Counties, to stop Durham's gun violence.

How will you attract and retain deputies?

We will recruit and retain quality deputies by first putting in place a credible and experienced leadership team based on professional experience and not political calculations. By professionalizing the agency, leading by example, building trust, respect, integrity and being fair in decision making, morale will improve. I will continuously advocate for pay raises that bring salaries in line with other law enforcement agencies. I will take steps to alleviate the stress from the staffing shortage at the detention center by pausing the contract with the U.S. Marshals Service that allows federal inmates to be housed in the detention center. Many of the federal inmates are not from Durham. Rather than increasing the population of an understaffed detention center, I will pause the federal contract until staffing is at an appropriate level. The sheriff's leadership team must also take steps to show they care for the well-being of agency staff.

What role does the Sheriff's Office play in stemming violent crime, and how do you plan to approach that role?

The sheriff is the top law enforcement official in Durham and has jurisdiction not just in the unincorporated areas of Durham County, but also in the city. City residents are able to vote for a Sheriff. City residents pay taxes which fund the Sheriff's Office. As such, the sheriff should feel and share a responsibility for preventing violent crime in all of Durham County -- including the City of Durham. The sheriff should help lead partnerships to tackle violent crime, develop strategies to address the most violent offenders, and connect support services with at-risk youth and communities that have suffered from the violence. Unlike the current sheriff who said at a forum in March 2022, "I am not responsible for the violent crime that happens inside Durham city," I will be a sheriff for ALL of Durham County, not just unincorporated areas.

Do you support the use of no-knock raids? Why or why not?

N.C. state law does allow for the use of no-knock warrants, but I do not support them. No-knock raids are inherently dangerous as seen in the cases of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky., and Amir Locke in Minneapolis, who were innocent victims killed during surprise entries enabled by no-knock warrants. As stated in my Six-Point Plan for Reform released in March, on day one, as sheriff, I will ban the use of no-knock warrants. The only exception would be a threat to life such as in the case of a hostage whose life was being threatened. When I do issue my no-knock policy, the press and public across Durham County will know it and there will be no ambiguities about it.

Do you support the use of body-worn cameras for deputies?

Yes, I support the use of body-worn cameras by deputies. I recognize the importance of transparency and accountability in our law enforcement operations. I am committed to policies that encourage transparency, accountability and build public trust. Body-worn cameras are an important tool to support those values. If elected, I will ensure all deputies are issued their own individual body-worn cameras, and our command staff, including the sheriff will wear them as well. Currently, deputies share body-worn cameras.

Under what circumstances and timelines do you support the release of body-camera footage? For example, do you support video release when requested? Only for serious or fatal incidents? Within 48 hours of the incident or only after the investigation is complete?

I believe in transparency and the confidence it builds in public trust. I support the release of body-camera footage, but not until the person in the video, a family member, their personal representative, or their attorney has had an opportunity to view the footage. In the interest of transparency and as soon as possible, I will assist the process by petitioning the court for its release. By state law, a judge has the final decision on when to release video footage.

What is your definition of transparency, and how do you plan to apply that to your office?

Transparency is explaining and showing the public what we do, how we do it, and the reasoning behind our decisions. I want to create a more transparent, responsive, and accountable Sheriff's office. Transparency is a core value to rebuilding public trust in our law enforcement. My Six-Point Reform Plan includes participating in the FBI's Use-of-Force database, so the public can see how often, why, and against whom force is being used. Durham PD shares its use-of-force data, but the current sheriff does not. I will create a Civilian Review Board comprised of members from diverse groups who recommend reforms to training, polices, and procedures to help transform the Sheriff's Office into a state leader on police reform. The board will also review citizen complaints and provide guidance on improving our service. Board meetings will be public with agendas and minutes clearly posted to a public website.

How will you ensure that people of color and people who are poor are treated fairly?

I will incorporate implicit bias awareness training into our in-service training that involves guest speakers from our communities of color who share their experiences of being treated with bias and overpoliced. Human connection and honest feedback from community members help make for the most effective training. Under my leadership, the Sheriff's Office will immediately begin sharing its use-of-force data with the FBI to encourage transparency and accountability. True champions of police reform should also share the data to help the FBI build the most complete database that allows the public to compare use-of-force statistics between agencies and how force is used with different ethnic groups. Our use-of-force data will also be accessible on a posted Transparency Dashboard on the Sheriff's Office website. Durham PD and the Wake County Sheriff's office share their data, while the current Durham County sheriff does not.

How do you plan to prevent deputies from using excessive force? How will your office handle cases involving excessive use of force?

Preventing deputies from using excessive force will start with the training they receive at the academy, and yearly in-service training thereafter. Training will include de-escalation techniques, communication skills, and problem-solving scenarios that test the employee's decision making and whether it was based on implicit bias. If so, the employee will receive training that helps them recognize the signs of bias and how to change. Additionally, having policies in place that address excessive force, and having expectations set will provide a framework for employees to follow. As stated earlier, the Durham County Sheriff's office under my leadership will also share its use-of-force data with the FBI, which is trying to build a national use-of-force database so the public can compare data between agencies and different ethnic groups. The current sheriff does not share use-of-force data with the FBI.

If elected, will you honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers? Participate in the 287 (g) program?

No, the Durham County Sheriff's office under my leadership will not participate in the 287(g) program. My priority is to use the limited resources of the Sheriff's Office to address gun violence, gun-related crimes, gang activity, and community problems that affect our quality of life in Durham. I will not participate in a program that will disconnect and disenfranchise our immigrant communities. I will honor an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer if it is accompanied with a federal arrest warrant. A detainer must be supported with a federal arrest warrant issued by a magistrate judge. The most pressing threat to our community safety is the gun violence. If elected, the Durham County deputy currently assigned to the ICE task force will be re-assigned to the ATF task force to focus on my priority of preventing Durham's gun violence.

Do you support an independent review board? Under your administration, what would that board look like?

Elected Sheriffs who believe in transparency and accountability to the public should take steps to develop independent Civilian/Citizen Review Boards. As the Durham County Sheriff's Office needs to rebuild public trust, I wholeheartedly support a Civilian Review Board. The current sheriff promised a Citizen Review Board in 2018 "to bring the power of accountability to the people," but a Review Board never materialized. The current sheriff also promised a Community Advisory Board, and it was created, but its function is completely opaque. Its membership dwindled from 27 members to a under a dozen, and its meeting schedules, agendas, and meeting minutes are not posted to any public website. If elected, I will have a Civilian Review Board whose members will represent Durham's diverse communities. The board will review training, polices, and procedures and recommend reforms that help modernize the Sheriff's Office service to the community. The board will also review citizen complaints and make recommendations to improve community interaction and engagement. The board will be a checks and balance of agency operations and provide external perspective that helps shape decision making and agency transformation. Membership, schedules, agendas, and meeting minutes will be posted to a Transparency Dashboard.

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