LaFon looks to build on EPD's successes

The Edenton Police Department’s new chief, David LaFon, says the department’s biggest challenges over the next few years are pretty clear: gangs, guns, gun violence, recruiting quality officers, and building stronger relationships within the community.

LaFon, a former Edenton police captain who took over the reins of the department on Monday, said he sees the agency making progress on all of those fronts. But keeping that progress on track will be harder, he says.

LaFon is a true believer in public service, having spent every day of his working life helping people through some of their worst moments. Prior to coming to work for the Edenton Police Department, LaFon served 28 years with the North Carolina Forest Service, retiring as chief of law enforcement for the agency.

LaFon also served as Bertie County’s emergency services director, was an officer for the Windsor Police Department and an instructor for numerous area community colleges, N.C. Emergency Management and the N.C. Justice Academy.

He started with the Edenton Police Department on July 8th and succeeded as chief interim Chief George Robinson, who was tapped to replace former Chief Henry A. King Jr. following his retirement at the end of July.

“I’ve always enjoyed helping people when they’re having a bad day because when that day happens, and mind you, your own day could be tomorrow, we never know when something bad’s going to happen,” LaFon said. “I like helping people through those situations and bringing about a positive result on the other side, if possible.”

LaFon said that some officers are adrenalin junkies, especially younger, less experienced officers. For LaFon, adrenalin was never part of the equation.

“I’m kind of an even keel person, you know,” LaFon said. “If you keep a cool head, you can help folks a whole lot better. If you go to a situation where somebody else is hollering and you go into that situation hollering, it will get louder. If you can go in and just kind of be a calming voice, things seem to go better.”

Because of several gun violence deaths and fatal drug overdoses, guns, gangs, and drugs are important concerns for the Edenton Police Department. LaFon says working together with the community, the EPD has made progress on three concerns.

“Incidents have gone down and a lot of that is because of some of the things that former Chief King and some of the guys have been working on here,” he said. “We’ve been trying to get through some of the (federal) Violent Criminal Apprehension Programs. A small group makes everybody’s life miserable. Edenton is a wonderful town with wonderful citizens. We’ve got just a few guys and gals who are trying to do gang violence and guns, and you know that gangs, guns, and drugs somehow always go together.”

Lafon said teaming up with federal law enforcement officials has made all the difference. Thanks to the resources VICAP brings to the table, local and state law enforcement was able to arrest two people last month in the fatal overdoses of three people in Chowan County.

“They were charged with death by distribution, which is a good thing,” LaFon said. “We were able to get them, so hopefully we will keep them in the federal system. You know it’s day-for-day versus some of the structured sentencing that we have here in North Carolina. Folks are scared to go away for years. When you talk about years, that’s a long time.”

LaFon said innovations like surveillance cameras, gunshot detectors, and other investments have put Edenton in a strong position to combat gang, gun, and drug crime.

One of the biggest challenges for the EDP will be recruiting quality police officers. LaFon said he is five officers down from a full roster, but added that Edenton has made investments that make him optimistic about the department’s ability to recruit new officers.

“Our call volume versus some cities is relatively low,” he said. “We have a nice modern police station and nice modern vehicles.”

He also noted that as North Carolina’s second colonial capital and the “South’s prettiest town,” Edenton is also a tourist destination.

“If you ride up and down our streets, you find a lot of visitors and people from different states and other countries,” LaFon said. “A lot of things are happening here that aren’t happening in other places. The bottom line is that Edenton is a really great place to start a law enforcement career.”

LaFon said that strengthening the relationships the department has built in the community will also be important in reducing crime. A closer relationship can mean greater trust and cooperation that can translate into better community safety.

“We’re trying to make sure that we get interaction with the citizens,” he said. “They see some things that we don’t. I hope that they’ll let us know and hopefully we can address them.”