Raleigh County, WV (WOAY) – Frank Priddy vowed if he were to become sheriff, he would strengthen community ties by putting more boots on the ground and building lasting county relationships.
And that is exactly what he is doing by implementing business checks, a nighttime and after-hours patrol that provides officers with registered businesses’ security and contact information.
Each night sheriff deputies on patrol are required to do five business checks, leaving a hanger on the door to let business owners know their property has been checked. The initiative assists them when finding or responding to a problem.
“I think it’s a win-win for the business owners in Raleigh County,” Priddy said. “They know the police are out when they’re home, we’re keeping the property safe, and we’re there for them. A lot of business owners call and tell me, thanks for having your guys stop by and do this.”
Some sheriffs back in the 1980s did ‘business checks,’ and Priddy thought it was a great idea.
“My whole thing was to bring people out of the office, put them in a car, and on the road to serve more Raleigh County people,” he said. “With more numbers, more boots on the ground, you can go and do stuff like this, add more manpower to the ship.”
The RCSD has increased its call volume.
“In other words, we’re more active, making more traffic stops, more extra patrols, more building checks,” said Priddy. “It’s increased since January.”
The biggest thing is more community policing.
“We will be more involved throughout the county. We’ll be in more activities, more different community events that are happening,” Priddy said. “I’m glad the department is out and doing good things to help the community.”
