In a charged email sent to Durham County residents in January, Sheriff Clarence Birkhead accused county leaders of failing to address problems at the jail, including broken fire alarms, that he said put detainees at risk.
But how accurate the sheriff was remains unclear. And county officials say the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t spend all the money it does get, despite repeated funding increases.
The 3-page letter, titled “A Message From Your Sheriff,” criticized two county commissioners — Nida Allam, who chairs the board of county commissioners, and Wendy Jacobs — who had voted against a training facility project…