Orange County is having its first competitive race for the sheriff’s office since 2018.
Charles Blackwood, who has served as sheriff since 2014, is seeking his fourth consecutive term. Challenger David LaBarre has served with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office since 2003. Both candidates want to focus on mental health, giving attention to the needs of community members and officers. The candidates differ on their approach to the sheriff office’s budget, with LaBarre campaigning on a more transparent process and Blackwood defending the public nature of approving it.
Blackwood, a 45-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, also wants to develop an Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) mindset. IPC is designed to make patrol officers aware of the resources available to them when establishing the status of a child who may be missing, exploited, or at risk of exploitation and what courses of action are immediately available, according to Blackwood’s campaign website…