Usually, when county sheriffs in North Carolina ask for money, they’re asking county Boards of Commissioners to fund their departments to a greater extent.

However, this week Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers is asking Guilford County residents to open up their purses, pocketbooks and checkbooks to support the NC Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA).

Press releases from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department routinely offer updates on crimes or seek information on a missing person or a criminal suspect –  but, this week, a press release called for people and local businesses to support the NCSA.

“Responding to the increasing number of people wanting to assist law enforcement officials and build a stronger partnership in the fight against crime,” the press release reads, “Sheriff Danny H. Rogers today announced that Guilford County citizens are being invited to become Honorary Members of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.”

Membership applications go out in the mail this month and those who choose to join the program can do so for $25.  Local businesses can join with a $50 contribution.

The press release doesn’t mention three perks that some citizens get for becoming a member:  The Honorary Membership ID card, window decal for a car or business, and bumper sticker. 

Do the bumper sticker and window decal help you get pulled less?  Well, it probably doesn’t hurt.  Is an officer kinder to you when you say, “My license? Sure, let me just look through my wallet.  Here you go…Oh no, wait, that’s not my license, that’s my Sheriff’s Association Honorary Member ID.  My mistake.”

Who knows?

According to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department, the money will help provide “critically important technical resources, legislative support on key criminal justice issues, support for the NCSA Undergraduate Criminal Justice Scholarship Program at the University of North Carolina System, and additional training for sheriffs and their deputies.”

The NCSA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit tax-exempt organization, so contributions are tax-deductible.

Rogers stated this week that securing funding for the Sheriff’s Association is becoming increasingly important because the Association’s Honorary Membership Program has taken on greater importance than ever before.

Rogers also said the funding is vital to helping his department carry out its mission of “making our county a safer place to live, work and play.”

“As the need for building stronger public-private law enforcement partnerships in this county continues to escalate, programs such as this continue to grow in importance,” Rogers stated. “I encourage everyone receiving a membership application to consider joining forces with us by becoming an Honorary Member. It is a valuable investment in our future.”

Anyone who doesn’t receive a membership application or who wants more information can visit the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association website at www.ncsheriffs.org.

Alternatively, they can write a snail mail letter to the NC Sheriffs’ Association at:

Post Office Box 20049

Raleigh, North Carolina 27619-0049

The phone number is (919) SHERIFF (743-7433).

People wishing to become Honorary Members of the Association can also sign up for the program by contacting the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department.

The Honorary Membership Program was created “to provide citizens with an opportunity to lend their support to more effective law enforcement and to better help local sheriffs protect the lives and property of citizens.”

The NC Sheriffs’ Association was founded in 1922 as a not-for-profit professional and educational organization for the preservation of peace and the protection of lives and property of the citizens of North Carolina.