District patrol loses 2 troopers

District patrol loses 2 troopers
One patrolman fired, other
resigned Feb. 17
By Diana Mazzella
Staff Writer

Monday, March 23, 2009

The regional office of the N.C. Highway Patrol is short about a third of its complement of troopers, after two more patrolmen left the 1st District last month.

Trooper K.W. Bray resigned and Trooper D.L. Putnam was dismissed on the same day, Feb. 17, according to Highway Patrol spokesman Capt. Everett Clendenin.

“Trooper Bray resigned and Putnam was dismissed, but beyond that it’s a personnel issue,” Clendenin said.

He said the patrol is prohibited by state law from releasing other information regarding the troopers’ departure.

Sgt. Charles Gould, supervisor of the patrol’s 1st District, said his office now has five vacancies out of a total of 16 positions — the largest vacancy rate for the patrol in the state.

Gould said the other three vacancies were created within the past year and a half, as two troopers transferred to other regions and one patrolman died of natural causes.

Gould said the number of troopers assigned to a patrol district is based on county size and the number of calls for service. Each of the four counties in District 1 — Chowan, Perquimans, Pasquotank and Camden — is assigned four troopers, he said.

The vacancies in the 1st District could be filled by new cadets scheduled to graduate this summer or by troopers transferring to the area from other parts of the state, Gould said.

However, northeastern North Carolina traditionally has been one of the harder areas for the patrol to staff. That’s due in part, Gould says, to the fact that few patrol recruits are from the area.

In addition, troopers may be drawn to more metropolitan areas or seek assignments near their families.

“In areas like northeastern North Carolina, generally you don’t have people transfer in unless they’re from the area,” Gould said.

Gould is hopeful that the patrol’s latest seven-month training session will bring new troopers to the 1st District. So far, however, no duty assignments have been made.