KINSTON — Today, Lenoir County Sheriff Ronnie Ingram announced he has filed for re-election with the Lenoir County Board of Elections for the Office of Sheriff.  

Ingram will be seeking his third term as the county’s Sheriff; he was first elected to the Office of Sheriff in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018. Sheriff Ingram has almost 40 years of experience in law enforcement.  

Before being elected Sheriff of Lenoir County, he retired from the Kinston Police Department. During his KPD tenure, most of his career was spent as a supervisor over divisions, shifts and personnel. His assignments and ranks included Major, SWAT Team Commander, Lieutenant, Narcotics Investigator, Training Officer and police officer.  

Sheriff Ingram has provided the following information and statement:

It has been a great honor and privilege to serve the citizens and residents of Lenoir County as your Sheriff. Over the past seven years, we have made great progress in many areas of the Sheriff’s Office that includes operations and equipment, while also facing the challenges of a pandemic that severely impacted our community.

As we move forward in the future, our biggest focus will continue to be in the area of personnel.  I have committed to my staff that our fight for better pay for our detention officers and deputy sheriffs will continue. Over the past seven years, we have obtained raises for our staff, which are greatly appreciated, but they are not keeping us in a range to retain our current employees and recruit new ones into the profession. The County has taken small steps forward, but we still have a way to go to be comparable with almost all the agencies that surround us.  

Operationally, we have focused on organizing the Sheriff’s Office and creating programs to better serve our citizens and reduce crime, including:

• Implementing promotion boards for special assignments and supervisor promotions to identify and promote the best candidates

• Reorganizing the Sheriff’s Office with a structured and clear chain of command

• Starting the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, which includes partnerships with the Kinston Police Department, Kinston Fire Department, Hugo Fire Department, North Lenoir Fire Department and Lenoir County Emergency Services  

• Partnering with the Lenoir County Council on Aging to create the Keeping in Touch (KIT) program to check on our senior citizens  

• Adding the Jail Transport Team that includes detention officers to keep our deputies in county and not on transports

• Having in-car cameras in all of our patrol division vehicles; we are currently implementing server upgrades to start our Body Worn Camera Program for the Sheriff’s Office. This project should be complete by July 2022

• Creating Operation Blue Elf to provide Christmas gifts for families in need through the Lenoir County Department of Social Services

Through the utilization of grants and surplus, we have been able to update our equipment and launch new programs. Some examples of these efforts include:

• Acquiring high water clearance vehicles to assist with floods at no cost to the citizens, valued at $750,000 

• Purchasing a Command Center with drug funds at no cost to the citizens, valued at $45,000

• Purchasing a Ford F550, enclosed gooseneck trailer, equipment trailer, four new all-terrain vehicles for operations and search and rescue at no cost to citizens, valued at $150,000

• Receiving a Governor’s Crime Commission Grant for $35,000 to place Stop the Bleed Kits in all Lenoir County schools, public and private. We also purchased ballistic shields for patrol division and school resource officers

• Receiving a Governor’s Crime Commission Grant for $25,000 to purchase handheld thermal units for patrol division and a “throw robot” for Special Response Team

• Receiving a Homeland Security Grant for $38,000 for a new Sheriff’s Office boat

• Acquiring our Annex Building, to serve as a new Patrol and Investigations Office, training room and impound at the Global TransPark at no cost to citizens that has prevented the Sheriff’s Office from being flooded 

• Increasing the Sheriff’s Office canine team to six total canines through drug funds

• Creating the Jail Prevention Trailer through donations and drug funds

• Acquiring new alco sensors for every patrol deputy through the Governor’s Highway Safety Program  

• Through budgeted funds, upgraded all deputy firearms and increased training for all staff

• Through budgeted funds, purchased new armored vehicle for the Sheriff’s Office that protects law enforcement and has the ability to rescue residents

Since being elected your Sheriff, I — along with my incredible team — have had significant accomplishments, while also dealing with a pandemic that has affected all of us. 

I am honored to serve as the Sheriff of Lenoir County. I will always work tirelessly to protect Lenoir County and its citizens. I pledge to continue to put the people of this great county first and to treat everyone equally and fairly. 

As you have in two previous elections, I ask for your continued support for this Office and humbly ask for your vote in the 2022 Sheriff Election.