Commissioners recognize sheriff

Monday night's meeting of the Durham Board of County Commissioners must have been a happy one for Sheriff Worth Hill.

At the meeting, the board recognized Hill for receiving the National Law Officer of the Year Award and approved a budget amendment that allowed his office to use additional federal funding.

Les Dasch of the local chapter of the American Legion Forty & Eight--which he described as an honor society within the American Legion--told the commissioners that Hill had beaten 54 other nominees to win the organization's annual award.

"Now we know that you're the top cop in the nation," said commissioner Joe Bowser. "You certainly deserved that award."

Hill thanked his staff for doing the work for the award. "2001's going to be hard for me to beat," he said.

Later at the meeting, the commissioners voted to amend the county budget to add additional funding to the sheriff's office from a federal block grant for law enforcement in both the Durham county and city. County Manager Mike Ruffin negotiated an agreement with the city to send 37 percent of those funds, or $178,676, to the county sheriff's office.

Nancy Dellinger, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, said an advisory board has recommended that the money go toward a new mobile command post, since the current one is 18 years old, as well as better communications and computer equipment.

Hill also announced that his office had won reaccreditation from the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, making it one of two sheriff's offices in North Carolina, 77 in the country and 3,088 worldwide to have that honor. "This association sets the standards and we have surpassed those standards again," he said.