Ending pursuits as soon as possible is paramount to roadway safety. Trained deputies are authorized to use, when necessary and appropriate, the Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT). This maneuver has been proven to be one of the safest methods of stopping a fleeing vehicle. Extended pursuits jeopardize innocent lives on the roadway and must be prevented in every way. Training will be ongoing and all new vehicles are upfitted with PIT bumpers.

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Faith based programs in the detention center are critical to have available in our detention facility. Allowing the faith of a detainee’s choice to be practiced and relied on while confined is essential to protecting constitutional rights and leads to a more orderly and safe detention facility. At present, 75 men and women participate for four days a week (Tu/Th/Sa/Su) in the detention center as faith-based activity leaders.

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Improved Protective Body Armor is essential to supporting our deputies and as a result was provided to every operations employee soon after taking office. Level Three A (IIIA) soft body armor replaced outdated, expired, and substandard protective armor. Sheriff Wilke will only advocate for the best equipment our county can afford going forward.

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A planned communications infrastructure upgrade is paramount to the safety of our first responders. To achieve this, a plan to transition to the state-maintained Viper radio system over the next five to seven years is essential for safety and responsiveness. We are in the very early stages of this planned transition to replace aging systems requiring repairs and maintenance. 

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A Community Engagement Team is vital to transparency, access to resources from the office, and understanding the processes that the Sheriff’s Office is responsible for. Now the primary responsibility of our Office Public Information Officer, community activities and requests for presence at community events have grown. In the early stages of expanding, a reserve deputy has been employed to assist with this as plans and activities steadily increase. 

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A Health and Wellness Program is necessary for our public safety employees to stay fit and enjoy a quality of life that comes with staying physically and emotionally healthy. Plans for a physical fitness center, as county facilities may become available in the future, are currently underway. Emotional health is an equally critical aspect of wellness for our deputies. Data has shown that a typical career could expose a first responder to psychologically traumatic events several hundred times over the course of a career. Decreasing the harm comes from early engagement of team debriefs and the providing of resources to cope with exposure to events and scenes that most are never exposed to in a lifetime. Accordingly, Responder Support Services (RSS), an accredited and highly sought organization of mental health professionals working exclusively with public safety employees, currently provides on-site assistance following serious events. This team of professionals were critical to the recovery process for employees following Hurricane Helene.

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An armored rescue vehicle is a safety imperative for our Special Response Team (SRT) and citizens during high-risk events. Deployed within the last year thanks to the planning and forethought of the previous administration, the Sheriff’s Office now has the ability to respond during emergency situations with greater safety and maneuverability than ever before. 

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Legislation affecting law enforcement for Haywood County and throughout the state is critical to the future of our county. As a member of the Legislative Committee of the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association, Sheriff Wilke advocates for laws that protect and promote the welfare of Haywood County and the State of North Carolina that are important to our home and way of life. Never again should the words “defund the police” ever gain a foothold in discussions about our future at any level. Sheriff Wilke stands strong as a member of this committee to ensure that doesn’t happen.

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School Resource Officers (SROs) are an essential part of our future and the safety of our children. During Sheriff Wilke’s first term in office, eight (8) new positions were added to the operations roster of the Sheriff’s Office, and were filled almost immediately after being authorized, to ensure that every school in Haywood County had a law enforcement officer capable of protecting our children and help guide them for a future of good decision making in and out of school. The relationships established between SROs and future generations of Haywood County citizens are immeasurable in benefit to the quality of life of our children and their families.

 

Body Cameras are essential to transparency and accountability, and most often, they tell the full story in the face of social media spin offs, conjecture, and deliberate misinformation. Upon taking office, body cams were previously purchased and available thanks to the work of the previous administration. Needed training, data collection and storage procedures, and policy development on their use was finalized and cameras deployed during Sheriff Wilke’s first year in office.

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Tasers are critical to preventing injury during situations that can become violent. During Sheriff Wilke’s tenure, outdated and unsupported taser platforms were entirely replaced with the updated taser seven (7), and a dedicated in-house taser instructor was certified to train and deploy them as quickly and efficiently as possible. As with most specific-use equipment or techniques in law enforcement, having a certified instructor on staff at the Sheriff’s Office greatly reduces time and expense in deploying potentially life-saving tools.

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Hurricane Helene was the most significant natural disaster in the history of our county and will forever affect how we respond to natural disasters in the future. A strong, collaborative relationship with stakeholders such as Emergency management Services (EMS), municipal and volunteer fire departments, police departments, volunteer organizations, and so many others is crucial. Sheriff Wilke will seek every opportunity to expand training with all stakeholders, and be prepared to lead the response for future events in partnership with them.

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Lowering Response times saves lives. The average time to respond to calls for service has been reduced by seventeen (17) percent in the first two years of Sheriff Wilke’s term over the last five years of the previous administration.

The Cadet program has made the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office more competitive among area law enforcement agencies for those starting new or expanding careers in law enforcement. Sheriff Wilke and his team planned and implemented a recruiting incentive to hire deputy trainees from within the community and pay for their certification training.  To date, seven (7) have used this program to become certified in law enforcement.

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Streamlined logistics management has led to efficient property accountability and quick replacement of damaged or worn-out uniform gear. Changes in uniform design are now implemented that have been shown to prevent common long term injuries to law enforcement officers – such as suspenders for the back and “molle” attachments that take weight off the belt.

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The personnel management system will always be based on ability and merit under Sheriff Wilke’s leadership. Putting the best and most qualified in the most fitting job assignments, especially supervisory and management roles, is the first priority for managing an effective team. There is no room for favoritism, politics, or a buddy system when the lives of our citizens and the services we provide are at stake.

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The Drone Program has emerged as a vital asset for search and rescue, event security and oversite at large scale events, and Special Response Team information gathering. Since taking office, Sheriff Wilke has overseen the licensing of drone pilots and specialized training for their operation in challenging environments. 

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​Since taking office, Bill has modernized the office of Sheriff in Haywood County with an emphasis on professionalization and eliminating unnecessary obstacles to efficient and effective practices and in collaboration with court officials. Average response times to calls have been reduced overall by seventeen percent, historic amounts of illegal drugs have been taken out of our communities, historic sentences for drug trafficking have been realized, and reported crimes of larceny have been reduced by over forty (40) percent throughout the county. Bill is committed to continuing this trend and working to keep Haywood County as safe and prosperous as possible for all of our citizens and visitors.

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