Tag Archive for: #sheriffbrame

Sheriff Curtis Brame

Vance Sheriff Brame’s Advice To Avoid Phone Scams: “Don’t Do What I Did”

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When the phone rings, the first reaction many of us have is to anwer the call. These days, however, unless a name pops up on the screen that you recognize, perhaps the best thing to do is – let it ring. You just may avoid getting caught up in a scam.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame wishes he had followed the advice that he so often dispensed to others about that very thing; it may have saved him the inconvenience of contacting his bank and associated credit cards.

Brame told John C. Rose in an email Wednesday about getting a call from someone who claimed to be with Duke Energy. The caller said Brame’s electricity would be cut off, “due to delinquency and not paying my bill on time.”

At the time, the sheriff was in a hospital waiting room, and was in a vulnerable state because his wife had just undergone back surgery. “I was worried, concerned, not thinking straight,” Brame wrote in the email to WIZS News. He was waiting to go in and see his wife in recovery, and what he did next is what he tells others all the time NOT to do: He furnished information to that person on the other end of the phone.

The last thing he needed, after being at the hospital with his wife, was to return home to no electricity, he said.

When he was able to get to a computer and access his account online, he realized his mistake. Of course, “I had already paid my bills on time and had a zero balance with Duke Energy,” Brame said.

The worry and concern for his wife in the hospital shifted to Brame being “furious, upset and disturbed” for being a victim of a phone scam.

Now came the hassle of contacting his bank, put it on alert and cancel his cards.

“Please, please, please, don’t do what I did,” Brame said. “They are out there, regardless of who you are.”

— The Local Skinny! Audio, Click Play —

Vance County Sheriff's Office

Town Talk 06/02/20: Sheriff, H-V Rec & Park Director Discuss Downtown Rally

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame and Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department Director Kendrick Vann appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Brame and Vann discussed Sunday’s rally/walk through downtown Henderson, a response, in part, to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died during an incident with law enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25.

With an estimated 30-40 rally participants, primarily young people and community leaders, both men expressed their gratitude that the event remained peaceful.

 

“It went very well on Sunday,” said Brame. “People came together to protest in an orderly fashion. There was no name-calling, no one got out of hand and no one tried to block the street. It was just a great rapport.”

Vann agreed, “Everything went really, really well. I’m truly proud of the young men and women that came out for this great cause. It’s very rare that you have people between the ages of 17 and 25 that stand up for something and have a purpose.”

Vann said the biggest takeaway of the day was the thoughtful conversations and the knowledge gained.

“Participants got an education between myself, Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow, the Henderson City Council members, Rev. John Miles and others,” stated Vann. “They learned a lot about the process of doing things the right way. We also talked about the history of Vance County and downtown Henderson, why the community was named what it was named and the importance of knowing where your City and County offices are located. These young adults didn’t know that information, but they were excited to learn more.”

Sheriff Brame said what was most important to participants is that law enforcement and community leaders took the time to listen. “We cannot solve all the world’s problems, but we need to be there to communicate and listen,” Brame explained. “All people want us to do is hear them out, to be patient and listen to them.”

Addressing a recent press release issued by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association and posted to WIZS.com (click here for full statement), Brame agreed that the officer in the Floyd incident acted “inexcusably” and his actions were “totally contrary to the training provided to law enforcement officers in North Carolina.”

Brame said he believes the respect for law enforcement in Vance County, and the respect law enforcement shows the community, is in a good place right now, and he doesn’t want to see that damaged.

“I had a young man come up to talk to me in my vehicle at the protest,” said Brame. “He didn’t understand the presence of law enforcement at the event. I explained to him that we don’t want what has happened in surrounding areas such as Raleigh and Charlotte to happen in Vance County. It took us a long time to build up what we have. Why would we tear it down?”

Vann reminded listeners that law enforcement is vital to a successful, thriving community. “Law enforcement is here for a reason and we’ve got to trust the system. Some people have bad experiences of working with the system and don’t have the whole story; that’s what makes it a sensitive topic.”

By working collaboratively, Vann said the Vance County Sheriff’s Office and Henderson Police Department are improving community relations.

“I think Sheriff Brame and Chief Barrow – one being African-American and the other being Caucasian – do a great job of working together to minimize a lot of things,” Vann said. “People in the community have to hold officers and deputies accountable. If you see someone doing something wrong, don’t blow it off. These two great men leading these departments can’t see or be everywhere. We have to tell them so that we can help prevent things from happening. We as a community need to be accountable for what goes on in our own community. That’s what I believe, and that’s why I was there on Sunday.”

Brame echoed Barrow’s request on yesterday’s Town Talk episode asking anyone that wants to hold a rally or protest in Henderson or Vance County to go through the proper channels by contacting the sheriff’s office or police department first.

To hear the interview with Brame and Vann in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Vance County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Curtis Brame: ‘Proposed County Budget Doesn’t Even Meet Me Halfway!’

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In an interview with WIZS News, Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame expressed his dissatisfaction with the proposed Vance County FY 2019-20 budget.

Presented to the Vance County Board of Commissioners at their May 6 meeting, the budget proposes funding two of four requested deputy sheriff positions and none of the requested four detention officers for the Vance County Jail.

“Funding two of eight requested positions is not even meeting me halfway,” exclaimed Brame. “Without needed staff, we can’t continue to operate and keep Vance County secure and safe with calls to service steadily increasing and the opioid crisis spreading.”

“How can I, as the sheriff of this county, provide adequate and sufficient security for the residents if I don’t get the positions requested? The proposed budget doesn’t address the jail concerns at all,” Brame said.

After discussing the matter with staff, Brame’s office submitted a two-page rebuttal letter to the office of Vance County Manager Jordan McMillen this afternoon.

Brame expects further discussions to take place between his office, McMillen’s office and the Vance County Board of Commissioners in the coming weeks.

The Board of Commissioners are scheduled to meet in work sessions at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 21 to discuss and review the proposed budget.

A public hearing regarding the budget will be held at the Board’s next regularly-scheduled meeting on Monday, June 3 at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room, 122 Young Street, Henderson.

The final, approved version of the FY 2019-2020 budget will be effective July 1, 2019.