BIOGRAPHY

Finding a new Home Officers make move to small town of Robersonville

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Story & Photo by Deborah Griffin

Robersonville might seem to some like the mythical town of Mayberry with its small-town friendliness and unhurried living.

But Pete Hendrick, the town’s new Chief of Police, wants people to understand the

Robersonville Police Department is on par with some of the biggest cities in America when it comes to training, technology and tactical gear.

Hendrick, who came to Robersonville in

December, left Fort Myers, Florida after a 29year career in police work. He was looking for a slower pace.

“I’ve come in every morning, and I haven’t hit a traffic jam yet,” he said. “One thing I had to learn is you have to wave at everybody.”

He liked being here so much, a monthand-a-half later he convinced his coworker and friend, Tim Short, also from Fort Myers, to come to Robersonville and be his Deputy

Chief.

The pair admit it is not a typical move.

Both were at a place in their lives where they could pick up and move their families.

Hendrick has three children ages 6, 17 and 19.

Short’s children are all grown.

Hendrick explained why he wanted

Short for the position. Besides being used to working together, he said, “You usually try to find someone you can really trust. We bring a slightly different approach [to police work] because we come from such a bigger place.”

They went from a department of 1,700 people in Lee County, Florida to a staff of six.

Their previous department had more people than the 1,500 people who live within

Robersonville city limits.

Both said that is why they came here.

Short said, “I don’t want to run homicides all day, every day.”

Hendrick and Short want to bring a more professional approach to law enforcement.

“The officers here have been receptive to it,” Hendrick said.

One of the first things he worked to

implement was police uniforms and marked police cars.

“There have been times the town has struggled to maintain the police department. We want it to be something they can be proud of,” he said.

He said he also pushed for better equipment.

“[These officers] face real world threats,” he said, just as in any town. “They need the same equipment that big cities have. We’ve done well so far. The town has really helped out and done a lot with helping us move forward.”

The department has new guns, holsters, tasers, body armor and new chemical agents, “so we have less lethal choices when we have people out of control,” explained Short.

He added the department needed new guns because “15-year-old firearms, if not properly maintained, or armored by a certified armorer, become a liability over time. We were able to replace the firearms; and just as importantly, we were able to replace the sighting system. This system is much safer for the officer,” improving accuracy.

“Small things like that show the officers we are willing to invest in them and the equipment. We are going to bring the latest technology that we can afford to bring here,” Hendrick said.

Training, one of Short’s specialties, has been a priority.

Henrick said the next step will be updating the computer system.

So far, the crime fighting duo has felt welcomed.

“People are very supportive of the police department,” Hendrick said.

Working in a small town, means working with a smaller budget.

“Everybody wants more. If we had more money we could do more. If we had more people we could do more. We’ve been trying to find that balance,” he continued.

One of the hardest decisions Hendrick made was to cut a position.

“We had to pay our people more,” he explained. “We were so underpaid. We were at a point we potentially could have lost over half our staff because they could have gone somewhere else and made more money. We took that money [from the cut position] and spread it out over the people who remained. I felt like it was something we had to do.”

He eventually hopes to bring that position back.

Even though it made the overall workload heavier, Hendrick said, “I think it let the officers know they are valued and showed them we are trying to keep up with the times. We had fallen so far behind. It was tough.”

Another thing he found difficult was a disconnect between the townspeople and the department.

“We want to reconnect with the town,” he said. “They feel like the department hasn’t been very responsive in the past. We want to change that. It’s going to take time, but we want to follow through on issues – small or big. We want people to know that if you call us, we are going to treat it as serious.”

The crimes they see in Robersonville are like what they saw in Florida, only on a much smaller scale.

“We see a lower number than we see in the big city, but it is all the same, everywhere you go,” Hendrick said.

He has met with civic leaders and churches and is planning a National Night Out in August.

He appreciates the fact the town wants its own police department.

“We are currently under the auspices of the Local Government Commission [LGC]. One of the first things they do when they come in is to see where they can cut and save money. They saw the value in having their own police department and fought to keep it,” Hendrick said. “When people are supportive of law enforcement, it makes you feel good.”

Besides Williamston, Robersonville is the only other town in Martin County that has their own police department.

Hendrick admits there are some conveniences he misses, but “being able to know your neighbors, and wave at people and they wave back – is something I’ll trade [for convenience] any day of the week,” he said.

Both men are still adjusting to the slower pace.

“We are used to being busy,” said Hendrick. “We welcome calls. We may only get five or six calls a day now, but the good thing is we’re not rushed. Police officers across the United States are literally running from call to call to call to call. They get about five minutes with people because there are three other calls stacking up. There is no personalized treatment.”

Hendrick and Short bring 59 years of experience between them.

“If there is a shooting, stabbing or robbery — we’ve been trained to handle it,” he said.

Concerning the school shooting in Texas, Hendrick said, “We have years and years of training in those type of things. We are wellpositioned to handle [something like] that. Those experiences benefit the town.”

Hendrick said the slower pace allows him to impact more people.

“In a place this small, you can make meaningful change pretty easily,” he added.

Hendrick was drawn to police work as a child because it was exciting, but as he matured, he said he likes the job because he can help people.

“We try to make bad times people are having just a little bit better,” he said.

“I love it that the town is a lot like Mayberry,” said Hendrick.

Short said it was one of the attractive things about being here.

“People will know my name,” said Short. “I will know theirs. They wave at you and will talk to you at breakfast [in a restaurant]. Those are the important things. Then they will feel safe enough to reach out when they need you.”

Deborah Griffin is News Editor of The Enterprise in Williamston and a Staff Writer for Eastern North Carolina Living.

“We try to make bad times people are having just a little bit better.

- Pete Hendrick, Robersonville Chief of Policce